Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang
by TheDragonSaver
Summary: When Shen has a vision of the future, he naturally tries to change it. Fate has other plans though, which will lead the peacock to gain new allies, learn new abilities, and maybe become the hero China needs. A new prophecy will be written, and the Phoenix will rise when the Dragon comes from the Land of the Rising Sun. (cover image by me!)
1. Prologue (Part 1)

_A prophecy._

 _Fire, burning a village to the ground._

 _The clanging of metal, forged into a weapon like no other._

 _A Peacock rising to power._

 _His fall to a warrior of Black and White._

 _They were on a boat. The warrior said something about choice._

 _He didn't listen. His weapon fell on top of him-_

Shen awoke from his chambers in a cold sweat. He had just had a dream- no, a vison- of the future? The peacock shook his head. Whatever it was, he should forget about it. Dreams were just that: dreams, which held no power over him.

Still, it disturbed him that his dream had been so vivid, almost as if it were a memory. He pondered if he should bring this dream up to the soothsayer. He decided against it; the old goat had far more important matters to deal with than fantasies of the prince.

Besides, Shen had more important matters to deal. He had finished his plans for a better firework last night, one that launched farther without giving up power. With this, he was one step closer to turning his family's invention into a force to be reckoned with; no more would warriors have to fight hand-to-hand, instead battles could be won from a distance.

The heir to Gongmen took his plans in wing and went to the throne room where his parents, the leaders of the city, were. Shen stopped at the door, however, when he heard the sounds of his parents talking to someone. The albino ducked into the room and behind a pillar, looking over to see them talking with the soothsayer.

"Please tell us, what is the fate of our son?" asked the king.

Taking a look in her scrying bowl, smoke rose from it to reveal whatever was in store for Shen.

"If Shen continues down this dark path," said the Soothsayer, a silhouette of the albino prince appearing from the bowl, "He will be defeated by a warrior of Black and White." The image changed into that of the Ying and Yang, overtaking Shen's form.

"But, as always, that is but one possibility," the old goat said. "Fate can be changed, though not everyone is as open to it."

Shen was freaking out internally. The prophecy he had just heard was _exactly_ like the one from his dreams. The was no way that he had subconsciously thought of the same prophecy; he had not been dreaming, he had seen the future. His future.

Shen slowly walked out from his hiding spot. "Mother. Father. Soothsayer," The prince said, surprising the three of them. "There is something I must tell you."

 **[***]**

After Shen had explained his dream, the Soothsayer told him that many people had dreams similar to his own, but very few know what they actually mean until it's too late.

"I'm glad that you told us about your vision, Shen," the goat said, "for this means that you understand the possibility of what may happen if you tried to stop this by yourself."

"Yes. My own destruction," Shen said, "if I act now, then I'll just cause my vision to become a reality." The peacock looked at the soothsayer, "I don't want to become what I saw in my dream. That person was cold and ruthless, and without reason. I want to protect our city, not take over China."

"It's also foolhardy to think that a panda would be a major threat to you," the king of Gongmen said, "their kind is so peaceful that the thought of one of them defeating you, a trained practitioner of Ka Li Fo, is almost laughable."

"I won't underestimate them, dear," said the queen, "many masters of Kung Fu are unassuming from looks alone, but hold great power within."

"Still, I am glad that you thought this through," the soothsayer said.

"As am I," Shen said, "if I hadn't talked to you, I may have made the same mistakes as those in my vision."

The calm of the throne room was interrupted by a messenger bursting through the doors of the room, the goose obviously out of breath.

"Your majesties, I bring urgent news," said the goose, falling on the floor panting.

"Well, tell us what you bring," said the king.

"Smoke has been sighted to the north of the city, sire," said the messager, "near the panda village."

"Oh no. No. NO!" Shen said, panic rising in his voice, "this is my fault! I caused this to happen!"

"Son, you've been with us the whole time," said his mother, "you have nothing to do with this."

Shen looked at his parents, fear in his eyes. "No, somehow I caused this. It was my vision where this very event happened; now I need to fix it."

Not heading the pleas of his parents and the soothsayer, Shen ran out of the palace and towards the smoke in the distance, hoping that he wasn't too late.

 **[***]**

The village was burning by the time Shen got there, with wolves running around setting buildings on fire and slaughtering any pandas they found. Shen quickly jumped into the fray, using his Guan Dao to slice at wolves and throwing his knives at those that were farther away. He was fighting a losing battle, however, as with each wolf he downed, two pandas were killed.

By the time Shen got to the other end of the village, most of the wolves were clutching their wounds and retreating or left to die in the fire. Shen came across the sight of what he assumed to be the pack's leader standing over the body of a female panda. Just as he was about to bring his war hammer down on her head, Shen jumped in the way, blocking the weapon with his own.

It was then that Shen got a good look at the attacker's face. "Captain?" Shen said in shock, recognizing the wolf as head of the palace guards. The peacock's expression quickly turned to rage, "Why are here? Why did you do _this_?"

"All of this was for you, my Lord," said the Wolf Boss. "After I heard the prophecy from the other room, I gathered those most loyal to you and lead the assault. Your legacy must be upheld, Shen."

The peacock looked at him, pure rage on his face. "I never asked for this, I didn't want to cause a genocide of completely innocent people." Without warning, Shen swiped at Wolf Boss with one of his knives, slicing at the wolf's left eye. The captain of the guard fell down in pain as the peacock stood over him. "Let _that_ be a reminder of what happens when you think you know what's best for me. _I'm_ the master of my own fate, I won't let you or anyone else decide it for me. Now _go_ , or else it won't just be your eye you'll be missing."

At that, Wolf Boss ran off, still clutching his eye as the rest of the pack retreated into the unknown. Shen looked down at the panda behind him. She was bleeding severely, most likely from the claws and teeth of the wolves. Shen could tell she wouldn't make it. However, crying from nearby attracted his attention. On the ground was a panda cub, less than a year old, cradled in cloth on the ground. Shen understood what had happened to this woman; the mother was trying to flee with her son, but couldn't protect herself in the process.

Picking up the baby, Shen took a glance at the fallen mother, the life already gone from her eyes. "I'll make sure he's safe, far away from Gongmen," the peacock prince said. Fining a nearby wagon of food, Shen hid the baby in the radishes, hoping that he made it somewhere safe from the wolves. As an afterthought, Shen left one of his tail feathers, which had been frayed from the battle, with the cub.

"May the gods favor you wherever you end up, young one," Shen said solemnly. As he left to go back to the city, a lone figure sat watching the prince from the trees, eyes filled with intrigue and hope. Maybe this was the person he was looking for.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Hello readers, this is The Dragon Saver! Up to now I've been writing in the Zootopia universe, but I decided to take a break and jump into the world of Kung Fu Panda for a new story.**

 **Despite only having limited experience with the franchise as a whole, the character of Shen fascinated me. If he had just made different decisions, he could have become a great leader of his people instead of a ruthless warlord. This story is about his journey if he didn't try to stop the prophecy, though Shen is going to need more allies if he is to continue on the path of a hero.**

 **I'll need you, the reader's help, on this story as well. Most of my knowledge of the series is taken more from the wiki and other online sources, so any character interactions or events that seem off should be noted in a review so that I can make this story the best it can be.**

 **Also, don't expect this story to be updated as frequently as my other story. At most there may be a chapter or two a week.**

 **Next time: Shen meets a warrior that is both his equal and opposite. What will become of their encounter?**


	2. Prologue (Part 2) Theme 1

After a long trudge back from the panda village to Gongmen, Shen arrived at Tower of Sacred Flame. The peacock prince walked into the palace throne room where his parents and the soothsayer awaited, a dejected look on his face.

"Mother. Father. I failed," Shen said. "I tried to stop them, but the wolves had already killed most of the pandas when I got there."

"Oh Shen, there is no need to feel down," the soothsayer said, "this was not your fault. You made your choice, and the only ones to blame for this tragedy are those traitorous wolves."

Shen shook his head, "no, it was my vision that showed foretold this. I should have done everything to prevent the genocide I just witnessed."

Before the prince could wallow in his own self-pity, a voice spoke out from the doorway.

"You did more than anyone else could have done," said the figure, hidden in shadows. "You saved one life, and that means another will see to tomorrow."

Shen slipped some of his hidden knives between his feathers, uneasy of this intruder. "Who are you?" the prince asked.

The figure stepped into the light, revealing a raven with pitch-black feathers and green eyes, a sword of some kind strapped to his side. "I am known as Karasu, and I have come from far to meet you, Shen."

Karasu steeped closer to the royal family and bowed in respect to them. Shen looked at the raven with some confusion, but put away his knives and folded his wings, bowing in response.

"What is it you seek my son for?" asked the king.

"I came seeking Shen as I was told of a prophecy that might involve him," Karasu said. "The prophecy said that I would find purpose when a royal of white was reborn from flames. I believe that it refers to you, Shen."

The prince looked at the stranger with a dull gaze. "I don't. 'Reborn' would mean coming back to life, which would mean that I would have died, which I am clearly did not. Aren't I standing before you now, alive?"

"He may mean 'reborn' in a spiritual sense, Shen," the soothsayer replied, "Ever since your vision, you've changed your path of fate, becoming someone different from who you were in that dream."

Shen thought about it, considering both options. "Still, even if I am the one your prophecy speaks of, I fail to see what you intend to do about it."

Karasu took his sword from his belt, presenting it to Shen. The blade was a katana, suggesting that the raven was not of Chinese descent.

"I pledge on my honor as a warrior to serve by your side, not as master and Samurai, but as equals on the field of battle," said Karasu.

Shen was taken aback by this gesture. "I'm sorry, but I cannot accept this servitude. I am not even a Lord, only a prince."

"My son," said the king. The albino peacock turned to his father. "I can tell by the way you hold yourself that the tragedy of the Panda Village is making you question your worth of your title of prince. However, you have proven today that you possess great strength in control and drive, even taking blame for things done in your name by those that wish to shame you. That is a quality that few hold, and even one that great leaders such as myself struggle with."

"He's right you know," said the queen, agreeing with her husband.

"And that is why I grant you my blessing to travel with this Karasu on whatever journey you will find yourself on," the king said.

Shen was in shock at that statement. "What? How-"

"We can tell you do not wish to stay in the tower, Shen," said the soothsayer. "Your destiny lies beyond Gongmen, and this warrior has sworn allegiance to protect and fight by you wherever you go." The old goat smiled at her surrogate son, "Just remember that no matter where you end up or what happens out there, know you will always have a home here in Gongmen."

Shen smiled at the soothsayer, then turned back to Karasu and took his sword, holding the blade in front of the raven. "If you promise to protect me, then I will do so as well."

Karasu stood up a smiled at the prince, reclaiming his katana and sheathing it back at his side.

"Then let us journey on, Lord Shen," said the raven.

 **[***]**

The next day, Shen and Karasu stood on the outskirts of Gongmen, just overlooking the city. The two were wearing different clothes, with Shen wearing a dull maroon colored robe with the Yin Yang symbol on the back, while Karasu was wearing a dark blue ninja attire/ Kimono with a purple scarf wrapped around his neck.

"Are you ready to leave?" asked Karasu.

"Yes. I'm ready to see where life takes us," said Shen, walking off to wherever they end up.

"So, where do you want to go first?" asked the raven.

"I've heard the southern mountains are quite beautiful this time of year," said the peacock, looking forward to their future as warriors, equal yet opposite, Yin and Yang.

* * *

 **(cue "Fullmetal Alchemist OP- "Again" English ver." By AmaLee)**

 _The scene changes to the landscape of China, panning over to Shen and Karasu standing on a hill. The title "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang" appears above their heads._

 ** _I had a purpose then, pursing the path to catalyze our dream_**

 ** _But it's a winding road, where you stumble and sway your way amongst the crowd_**

 _The Scene changes to the two of them walking through various locals, including Gongmen, a village, and the countryside. Shen is wearing a dull read robe, while Karasu wears a blue kimono._

 ** _Don't get me wrong, I would never go back in time – or play God_**

 ** _But is there a way I could earn back that endless sky?_**

 _Karasu and Shen eat noodles in Mr. Ping's shop. The raven looks at the peacock in concern; Shen looks away, the pain of his failure imminent in his eyes._

 ** _I can see it in your eyes_**

 ** _Don't give me that look – 'cause, you see_**

 ** _You're the last person I need to pity me_**

 _Shen and Karasu are training using their Guan Dao and Katana, respectively. Karasu shows fear when Shen swings at him. The peacock stops, looking at his companion in concern as the raven turns and walks away._

 ** _Cryin' won't pave a way to forgiveness_**

 _Quickly, flashes are shown of Karasu standing over other birds dressed as Samurai lying dead, the raven himself coated in blood._

 ** _Every sin you carve is ever lasting_**

 _Cut to Shen in a similar pose, but standing over the burning ruins of the panda village, Po's mother at his feet, dead._

 ** _I'm lost in this maze of emotion_**

 ** _Who am I waiting for?_**

 _Shen and Karasu stand back to back, surrounded by the Ladies of the Shade. The female warriors jump at the two of them, a light shining as they're dogpiled._

 ** _Now, these once blank pages of my notebook_**

 _Cut to Mei Ling in Dai Lee Academy, the golden cat receiving a letter via Karasu._

 ** _Become a plea to regain fallen virtue_**

 _Cut to Shen staring down Fenghuang, both of them holding a knife to the other's throat._

 ** _All this time, I've been trying to run away from my own reality_**

 _Shen and Karasu are stand side-by-side, facing Master Oogway as he stands underneath the Peach Tree of Eternal Wisdom._

 ** _We'll live for something as soon as we find it_**

 ** _I've forgotten, please remind me, as day turns darkness_**

 _Shen and Karasu are scene running down the steps of the Jade Palace, confidence on their faces. The two share a glace and jump down with their weapons out._

 ** _Expired chances – but we gotta make it through again_**

 ** _'cause there's nowhere else to run_**

 _Pan to the Furious Five standing at the top of the stairs, with each member turning back to the palace one by one._

 ** _There's still so much here, a life worth living_**

 ** _And with time you'll drown the feeling out (I'M ON THE WAY)_**

 _Cut to Po standing in the middle of the palace courtyard, trying to do Kung Fu. Karasu watches with amusement as Po falls on his face. Shen just face palms._

 ** _It's so nostalgic, maybe all the love is worth the pain_**

 _The two birds turn to each other, giving a nod to an unspoken vow of loyalty to each other. As the guitar kicks in, images of each of the five masters is shown using their Kung Fu style._

 ** _It's not a lack of pride,_**

 ** _But I know I'm to blame, so I apologize_**

 _Tigress is seen walking away from Shen, obviously whatever he said angering her. Crane and Karasu look at each other in concern for their teammates._

 ** _I don't know what to say_**

 ** _But I wish I could free the worry from your eyes_**

 _Viper and Mantis are scene doing acupuncture on Po, hurting from a rigorous training session. Cut to Monkey talking with Shen, Karasu staring down at them from the hall's rafters._

 ** _All we've been through and all that's yet to come_**

 ** _And all that we have become will remain as we roll the dice_**

 _Master Shifu watches as his students train, including Po. Panning behind him, the scene transitions to Shen and Karasu training under the watch of Fenghuang in a snowy field._

 ** _Once more, I close my eyes from the sight_**

 ** _But it's all a futile fight, for it's all etched inside my mind_**

 _Shen stops and walks over to look out back to Gongmen. Karasu joins him and puts and wing on the peacock's, assuring his compainion._

 ** _The invite of a white lie,_**

 _Cut to the duo in a bamboo forest, facing off against Fung and his crocodile bandits._

 ** _Some can't resist the call to join in_**

 _Cut to the Furious Five fighting Tai Lung on a rope bridge._

 ** _But still, I thought I knew you better than to give into pressure_**

 _Cut to Shifu and Po training, the master watching as his newest student starts to show signs of improvement._

 ** _Once fury thorns in your heart,_**

 _Karasu holds out his sword as lighting strikes behind him._

 ** _The fire's quick to consume you_**

 _Shen stands with his Guan Dao at the ready, flames burning behind him._

 ** _And what comes from those ashes – is your reality_**

 _The duo face down Tai Lung, auras burning around the three of them._

 ** _We'll live for something as soon as we find it_**

 ** _May we come across that future_**

 ** _Can you hear me? I'm screaming_**

 _The Five fight against various enemies, including Crocs and Gorillas. Po starts to prove his worth by taking down the Gorilla leader._

 ** _Expired chances,_**

 ** _But we gotta make it through again_**

 ** _'cause there's nowhere else to run_**

 _Karasu and Shen are teamed up with Po to face the Wu Sisters. The three of them go one-on-one with a sister, no weapons used._

 ** _It's through your kindness, I'll always be grateful_**

 ** _And I'll strive to become stronger (I'M ON THE WAY)_**

 ** _I'll carry onward, gaining friend and foe along the way_**

 _Shen stands with Fenghuang outside the Jade Palace, the owl looking concerned as Shifu stares at them. Karasu smiles as Mei Ling and Crane reunite with a hug._

 ** _I try to make sense of why_**

 ** _We can't figure how to unlock the next door_**

 _The Duo run through the Valley of Peace, facing off against wolves as they invade._

 ** _We bleed on this path we lead_**

 ** _But we cannot turn back, cause our story's begun_**

 _Po faces off against Tai Lung, the two fighting for the sacred Dragon Scroll._

 ** _Open up your eyes – Open up your eyes_**

 _Cue guitar solo as images of appear: Shen fighting Tigress, Karasu hugging Fenghuang, Mei Ling fighting side-by-side with Crane and Viper, Po looking at his dad with a look of determination, Monkey and Mantis fighting in the village, Oogway fading into peach tree petals, Tai Lung escaping from Chor-Gom Prison._

 ** _There's still so much here, a life worth living_**

 ** _And with time I'll drown the feeling out_**

 ** _I need to right all my wrongs_**

 ** _And finish all things I've left undone_**

 _Shen walks up to a hill, Karasu joining him soon after. The two look into the sunset as silhouettes of a Phoenix and Dragon appear over the two in the sky._

 ** _We've only just begun_**

 _The two jump off the hill with smiles on their faces._

 ** _We'll live for something as soon as we find it_**

 ** _May we come across that future_**

 ** _Can you hear me? I'm screaming_**

 _More scenes of Shen and Karasu fighting are scene, facing all of the previous villains with the Furious Five and Po at their side._

 ** _Expired chances - but we gotta make it through again_**

 _The Duo stumble, only to be caught by Mei Ling and Fenghuang._

 ** _'cause there's nowhere else to run_**

 _The two smile as their allies stand beside them in battle._

 ** _It's through your kindness, I'll always be grateful_**

 _Shen spins his Guan Dao and lunges, a phoenix forming around him._

 ** _And I'll strive to become stronger (I'M ON THE WAY)_**

 _Karasu swings his katana and charges as well, his aura forming a dragon around himself._

 ** _It's so nostalgic, maybe all the love is worth the pain_**

 _The two warriors collide as the title appears again, the last scene being the two of them sitting on the cliff near the peach tree._

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Here is the second chapter, along with the theme of this first season "Enter the Duo!"**

 **Karasu is Japanese for "Raven" as the Dragon to Shen's Phoenix and the Yang to his Yin. His backstory will be elaborated on in this first arc, though you can see some of the thing to come in the theme song.**

 **"Again", the theme of Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, was chosen as both of our heroes have pasts that they feel they need to make up for. Plus, it just sounds really epic and the song you would play if you have a long journey ahead of you.**

 **Next Time: We jump ahead a few years and see where our heroes end up as the day the Dragon Warrior appears draws closer.**


	3. Season 1 Episode 1

_30 some odd years after Shen's departure_

In the village known as the Valley of Peace, the birthplace of Kung Fu and home of the Furious Five, two figures entered the town with little fanfare. The two were Shen and Karasu, whom curiously did not look to age drastically over the past 30 or so years. While they didn't make a scene, some of the villagers turned their heads as the warriors came up to a local noodle shop, entering to get a bite to eat. Shen noted that the owner of the establishment was a goose, a very excitable one at that.

"Hello! Welcome to my noodle shop!" Mr. Ping said to them, "What do you want from out menu."

Sitting down at a table, the duo looked over the options on the menu, the peacock noting the rather simplistic choices of food. Of course, having lived outside of the Tower of Sacred Flames for many years now made him appreciate people that _could_ cook, so he'd let the food do the talking.

"I'll take whatever is your most well received dish," Shen said.

"And I'll take the same," said Karasu.

Mr. Ping ran off the kitchen to cook the meals while the two birds waited for their food to arrive. The two sat in silence while waiting, ignoring the stares from the other customers gave them. The two weren't "famous", but there were rumors of a raven and peacock fighting various baddies around China. Eventually, a _Panda_ of all creatures came out of the kitchen, balancing multiple bowls of food on his body and passing them out to the customers.

"Here are your meals," said the Panda, giving the duo bowls of Mr. Ping's noodles with his signature secret ingredient. As Shen and Karasu ate their food, they couldn't help but notice the panda was still staring at them.

"Do you _mind_?" Shen asked, irritated by the panda's staring.

"Oh, sorry!" said the panda. "It's just that you guys look like the rumor of the bird nomad warriors."

"I don't think you can 'look' like a rumor," said Karasu.

The panda just stared blankly at the raven, not getting his sarcasm. "Anyway, are you two those warriors?"

"Don't try to flatter us," Shen said, "most rumors are false." The prince smiled slightly, "However, that doesn't mean there isn't truth in fiction."

The Panda seemed to be holding in excitement as he took both of their wings in his paws and shook them vigorously. "It's such an honor to meet actual Kung Fu masters! I mean, the Jade Palace is just up the village, but I really don't feel like climbing all of those steps, so- "

"Panda," said Karasu, stopping the ensuing run-on fan-speel. "First of all, neither of us are technically Kung Fu masters yet." The raven then leaned in close to the Panda and whispered, "That's part of the reason why we're here."

"And the other?" the Panda asked.

"Personal reasons," Shen said. The peacock stood up from the table and left the amount of coins needed to pay for the meal. "Thank you for the food, it was one of the better meals I've tasted in my travels. Come Karasu, let us go."

As Shen walked off, Karasu bowed respectfully to the Panda. " _Arigatuo_ ; Thank you for the food…?"

"Po," said the panda, realizing that Karasu was waiting for a name.

"Alright, Po. _Arigatuo_." And with that, the two warriors walked towards the Jade Palace. As they left, though, Po couldn't help but sense something familiar about Shen's train feathers...

 **[***]**

As Shen and Karasu came up to the Palace gates, sounds of battle could be heard on the other side. Walking through the gate, the two came to see the Furious Five training in the courtyard. Each member was practicing their various style of Kung Fu, only stopping when Master Shifu held up his hand to them.

"That's enough. It appears we have visitors," said Shifu, turning to face the two warriors.

"Wow, you could tell we came in without even looking," Karasu said.

Monkey pointed at Shifu's large ears in response to that statement, before straightening up when the master looked over at him.

"Anyway, what brings you here to the Jade Palace?" Shifu asked.

Shen stepped forward, giving a slight bow. "Master Shifu, we are here to prove ourselves worthy of the title of 'Master,' like your students here," the peacock said.

"It doesn't work that way," Tigress said, almost in a scoff. "To become a master, you must have years of training and prove yourself in combat and discipline. It's not as simple as coming here and expecting to be handed the title."

"Tigress," Shifu said in a firm voice, "let me do the talking." The Red Panda turned back to Shen and Karasu. "Unfortunately, she is right. You have to have trained from a young age to become a master, and both of you would be fighting a losing battle to earn the title if you started now."

Shen turned to Karasu, whom pulled out a scroll and handed it to Shifu. "This is from the Kung Fu Council of Gongmen City," Shen said as Shifu opened the scroll to read it. "It contains a list of feats and accomplishments both myself and my companion have performed over the years as training to become masters."

Shifu quickly read the scroll, then re-read it to check for any scrutiny's. "Well, both of you have performed many feats, and this is in Master Rhino's handwriting," the red panda said, "However, we here at the Jade Palace can't officially give you the title of Master, so you'll have to go to the Council for that."

Shen grunted and turned to leave. "Come, Karasu. It appears that the master here doesn't want our presence. Perhaps he is afraid that we would be too much for his students to handle."

"Like a sickly peacock and a scrawny raven could take on even _one_ of the Furious Five," Mantis scoffed.

 _That_ got Shen to turn around. "I am not 'sickly'," Shen said, "I was born this way. I'm an albino. And I could beat any of you even without my Guan Dao."

"Even Tigress?" Monkey questioned, egging Shen on.

"Is that a challenge?" Shen asked, moving closer to the Five. "Hmph. Fine then." Shen pointed a feather at the Master of Tiger Style. "I challenge you to a spar, just to prove these two wrong."

"It's your funeral," Tigress said, walking over to the circular ring on the courtyard ground.

"Um, guys? I don't think this is a good idea," Crane said.

"He'll be fine," Karasu said, walking up next to the Master of Crane Style. "Shen knows what he's doing, and I've heard that Master Tigress doesn't hold back in a fight."

"That's what he's worried about," Viper said.

The group watched as Shifu stood off to the side of the arena to ref the match, looking at both the peacock and tiger. "If you insist on this fight, then let's set the rules," Shifu said. "Shen has already forfeited his weapon, so Tigress will not being using one either."

"Not like she needs one," Monkey said to Mantis, "She's so strong she can break trees with one punch."

"Also," Shifu continued, "this match will be decided by who can pin the opponent first, so no attacks that could severely injure the opponent, please."

Arriving in the middle, Shen and Tigress bowed to each other in respect before assuming battle stances. Tigress got into the typical Tiger Style starting stance, while Shen assumed a wider stance with his wings held outward; his lack of Guan Dao meant he would have to rely on his speed to dodge rather than the long reach of his weapon.

With the two opponents ready, Shifu gave the signal, and the battle began.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Cliffhanger! The battle between Tigress and Shen will be next time!**

 **If memory serves, it's about 30 years between Shen's banishment and the Second movie's events in-universe, so how Karasu and Shen don't look to have aged too drastically (in this story Shen would be 18 when he left, so he should be in his 40's, with Karasu in his 30's) remains a mystery.**

 **Any character inconsistencies would be helpful to point out, as I like to stay faithful to the personalities of canon characters as much as possible. The only exception to this would be Shen, as his path his** ** _very_** **different from his movie counterpart.**

 **Make a guess as to who you think will win the fight, and which if the Five you want Karasu to fight next time!**


	4. Season 1 Episode 2

Last Time on "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang"

 _Shen and Karasu made it to the Valley of Peace, encountering Po and his father. Making their way to the Jade Palace, the two met Shifu and the Furious Five in hopes of becoming masters. Being rejected, Shen is now in a fight with Tigress._

* * *

Tigress wasted no time to start the battle and struck towards Shen's head, the peacock leaning backwards to avoid the blow and retaliating with a strike to her outstretched hand. That was a bad idea, however, as he reeled back in pain from his own attack.

"Ow! Hitting your hand is like hitting iron!" Shen exclaimed, continuing to dodge the tiger's strikes as he clutched his wing.

"I've trained since I was young by punching Ironwood trees," Tigress said, "I'm now immune to pain and tough enough to break trees."

' _Great, I'm dealing with a warrior that can hit like a battering ram,_ ' Shen thought. ' _Well then, now that I know that, time to get serious._ '

The battle continued, with Shen dodging the Tiger Master's attacks as his wing recovered. Then he refocused and went on the offensive, jumping on Tigress' outstretched hand when she struck next, and using her arm as leverage, jumped over her and swept his train under her feet. The Master of Tiger Style fell to the ground and was pinned down by Shen's feet, one on each arm and a wing to her neck. Tigress struggled to get up, but the peacock's grip was unexpectedly strong, and her position didn't give her any leverage to push herself back up.

"You hit hard, but that also makes you predictable," Shen said, leaning in to Tigress' ear. "I had at least three different plans to take you down, and that was before we even fought."

Getting off of her, the rest of the Five looked at Shen in shock; this peacock had defeated their strongest member?

"Hey!" Tigress growled, getting up from the floor. "I demand a rematch!"

"How about… no," Shen said, walking back to Karasu's side. "Repeating something and expecting a different result will just drive you mad. Karasu, how about you take her on."

"I think I would rather face one of the _other_ Furious Five members," the raven said, "any volunteers?"

The other members of the team took a step back; if Shen could beat Tigress, they couldn't imagine what his companion could do. Unfortunately, Crane was a bit slow on the uptake and was the only one left standing up front.

"Master Crane! I'm glad you've decided to volunteer to fight me!" Karasu said, pulling the confused bird into the arena.

"Umm… I… Uh?" Crane sputtered, barely able to register what was going on.

"Alright then," Shifu said, not missing a beat, "I assume the rules will be the same as the last?"

"Right. Shen, hold my weapons for me," Karasu said, throwing over his sword, several ninja stars, a bow and arrow set, and a grappling line to his companion, with many of those objects almost hitting the other Furious Five members. The peacock only made an effort to catch the sword, letting Monkey and Mantis dodge the incoming shurikens, Tigress to catch the bow and arrow set, and Viper to get tangled in the grappling line.

"Now then, combatants at the ready," Shifu said, raising his hand.

The two warriors bowed and got into their stances, with Crane taking his Style's stance and Karasu putting his wings together in front of him, the traditional ninja pose. Shifu nodded to the two and threw his hand down, starting the match.

Neither of the combatant made a move at first, with both of them slowly circling the arena and sizing each other up. Finally, Karasu made a move by flying up and preforming a dive kick, with Crane quickly dodging by backpedaling and taking his own kick at that raven, whom also dodged the attack. The two continued like this for several minutes, neither gaining an advantage on the other.

"I've been trained in all the ways of the bird masters," said Karasu. "I don't think this battle will be as interesting or fun if we continue like this. So how about we take this fight to new heights?"

Karasu flapped his wings down and took to the sky, with Crane following him upward to continue the fight. While they were high up, the others watched in awe at the two birds as they dived and swooped at each other, occasionally interlocking wings and claws in midair to strike at each other.

The fight came to a stand-still, though, and the two eventually came back down to the ground, both of them out of breath, not used to such exertion in a one-on-one duel. Crane soon got back into his fighting stance, but Karasu put up a wing.

"Wait. I concede," the raven said. The others looked surprised at this gesture, including Shen. "I just wanted a good fight, and you gave it to me," Karasu bowed and walked out of the arena and over to the peacock to pick his weapons back up. "Next time, though, I won't hold back."

' _He was holding back!?'_ Crane thought in shock, _'that was a fight where I felt like I was on par with someone for once.'_

Shen returned Karasu's sword to him, but not without a lopsided look at his partner. "You could have beat him, you know."

"I could have, but I just wanted to test his strength," the raven said. "He's every bit as strong as Mei Ling said, but I sense a hidden power within him," he looked over at the other Furious Five as they converged around their teammate. "Actually, I feel something hidden within each of them."

"Every being has something underneath the surface," said an old but wise voice, "it just takes the right push and a bit of training to bring it out."

The duo turned to face the temple to see a tortoise with a staff, staring at the two of them.

"Master Oogway!" said the Five and Shifu, bowing quickly.

The tortoise nodded to his students, then turned back to Shen and Karasu and pointed a finger at them.

"I sense something in you two," the master said, "Something I haven't felt since the original Furious Five. What brings you two to our temple?"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **After two fights, the Master of the Jade Palace, Oogway appears!**

 **Hope the Tigress fans don't get mad, but at this point in time, Tigress still relies on her strength to get the job done, which a tactician like Shen could easily exploit. I mean, in the main universe he could flip Po and take on three Masters at once, so it's not too much of a stretch.**

 **Karasu has dropped some hints on to where he and Shen have been and also to the arcs each of the Five will have in terms of their fighting styles.**

 **Next Time: Oogway gives his sage advice and the plot of the first movie decides to catch up to our heroes.**


	5. Season 1 Episode 3

Last time on Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang

 _The fight between Shen and Tigress concluded with a victory for Shen, and Karasu challenged Crane to an aerial battle. After ending with Karasu conceding, the Grandmaster Oogway has appeared with something to say._

* * *

Shen and Karasu were standing in the Hall of Warriors near the Moon Pool, with Oogway slowly circling the two of them, occasionally peering closely at them. The other masters of the Jade Palace stood to the side and watched the display. Eventually, Oogway turned to Shifu and nodded.

"These two are indeed worthy of being masters," the Grandmaster said.

Shifu seemed a bit aback, but simply nodded.

"However, there is something we must discuss, Shifu. Alone."

The Furious Five did not have to take a hint and proceeded to leave the hall, with Shen and Karasu following behind them. After reaching outside, Karasu flew in front of the Five with a smile on his face.

"So, fellow masters, what do you do when not saving lives?" the raven asked.

Tigress didn't respond, and roughly walked past him towards the training hall, with the other masters following as well. Monkey mouthed "Sorry" as he pasted, leaving Shen standing there with his partner.

"Don't try to appeal to them," Shen said, "They'll only return kindness when we become one of them, which will never happen."

"That's what you think," Karasu said, "but I think they just need to learn about the real us to open up. Crane at least seemed interested when we fought."

"The crane has talent, but lacks confidence," Shen said, "the mantis is hot-headed, the monkey has a joke streak, the viper is passive, and the tiger… well, she's got problems I'd rather not deal with."

"Because she's like you?" Karasu asked.

The peacock looked surprised at his partner, but returned to his steely gaze returned just as quickly. "Because she's too focused on her rage. That kind of anger will lead to your own self-destruction, as we both know."

Suddenly the doors to the palace burst open and Zang, the palace messenger, flew of in a huff. Shifu followed suit, staring at the two warriors.

"Where are the Five?" he asked, clearly in a hurry.

The two just pointed in the general direction of the training hall, the red panda running off as Oogway eventually came out of the palace as well.

"What was that about?" Shen asked the tortoise.

"It is time for the universe to choose the Dragon Warrior," Oogway said. The two warriors looked at each other at that statement, wondering what that meant.

* * *

The next day was a fanfare as the Jade Palace opened its doors to the Valley as the contest to choose the Dragon Warrior was today. Each of the Furious Five, along with the newly made Masters Raven and Peacock, would put on a display of their strength and skills with Grandmaster Oogway deciding in the end who would earn the title and claim the Dragon Scroll.

Currently, Masters Viper and Mantis had already gone on, with Crane performing at the moment. Shen was waiting impatiently for his turn and also for Karasu to show up, as he had left to do something earlier. And as if on cue, the raven warrior appeared with a goofy smile on his beak.

"What has you in a good mood?" Shen asked his giggling partner.

"Nothing, it's just that Po- you know, the panda from yesterday- was trying to climb the thousand steps with a noodle cart. I was getting some food, and I just kept watching him fall down the stairs. It was really hilarious," Karasu said.

"If he was smart, he would ditch the cart to get up here," Shen said.

"I feel it's a sense of duty to his father," Karasu replied. "Even if he would rather watch the show, he respects his father's wishes and want to fulfill his duty."

Shen thought about it and nodded, but then was pulled back into reality by the announcement of his name.

"And now for one of the newest masters will take the stage!" Shifu announced, the crowd cheering. Shen walked to the middle of the arena, the crowd's cheers slowly dying as their voices changed to ones of whispers and rumor.

"Isn't that the prince of Gongmen?" someone asked their neighbor.

"I think he's one of those warriors I've heard of," someone else said, "you know, the ones that faced the Ladies of the Shade?"

Shen ignored them at pulled out his Guan Dao. Unlike his original weapon, which was more of a glorified lance, this Guan Dao was more of a traditional style; in fact, it was said to have been wielded by his ancestors whom founded Gongmen. It was the traditional large curved blade on the end of a staff, with the metal being inscribed with a phoenix and the staff being made of the wood of an ironwood tree, it's ash color contrasting with his own feathers.

"Master Peacock will be performing his own style in the tradition of his people," Shifu announced.

Shen crouched low and held his weapon in his wing, the shaft resting on his back as he got into starting position. Once the gong was hit, the peacock flew into a flurry of spins and kicks, his Guan Dao flowing around him eloquently like the ribbon of a dancer. Shen mixed in his Ka Li Fo style after some simple movements, adding kicks, swings, and flaring his train to add in flare.

As the music picked up in tempo, Shen's routine also picked up in intensity. Eventually, his movements seemed to catch fire- no, he _was_ on fire. The prince's Chi flared into fire, coating his Guan Dao in flames that made him look like a fire twirler. The audience was stunned at the display, and even the other masters seemed impressed. As the music ended, Shen swung his weapon down, putting out the flames.

The crowd cheered at the display, Shen simply putting away his weapon and bowing, returning to his place by Karasu.

"Got a bit flashy at the end there, didn't you?" Karasu said, a smirk on his face.

"Guess that means you'll have to try harder," Shen replied

* * *

"And now, Master Raven will be showing his skills to us today," Shifu announced.

Karasu took to the stage and pulled out some of his shurikens in his wings. One of the palace servants had set up targets at various heights around the arena, which the raven wasted no time to throw his weapons at. Each target was hit with accuracy so precise that each of the throwing stars hit the center target.

"Come on, give me a challenge!" Karasu announced.

The servants brought out more targets, but this time they were tied to kites. As they floated up, the raven pulled out his bow and took aim, firing a single arrow at each target, one by one, they fell back to earth with an arrow in the bullseye, Karasu not even breaking a sweat.

 _'And now for my big finale,'_ he thought. Launching himself into the air, Karasu flew way above the Palace and finally unsheathed his sword. As he held the blade high, a bolt of Lightning struck the sword, making a fantastic display of a dragon in the sky. The raven master landed with thunderous applause, sheathing his sword and walking back to his place. As he did so, the Five and Shifu looked at Karasu with concern; was he the destined one to become the Dragon Warrior?

* * *

Eventually, Oogway called all seven of the warriors onstage to announce which one of them was to be the Dragon Warrior. All eyes were on the tortoise as he wavered between each of the masters. The Grandmaster finally came to stand between Tigress and Karasu, and just as he lifted his finger-

A big ball of Black and White fell from the sky, and Po landed in a heap right in front of Oogway.

"So that's where the screaming was coming from," Shen said idly, poking a talon at the panda.

"What? Oh sorry," Po said getting up and turning around to see the Masters standing there in shock. "Oh my gosh, the Furious Five! I'm so, so sorry. I just wanted to see your awesome Kung Fu and- "

"You," said Oogway, "Are the Dragon Warrior."

Po turned towards the tortoise and said, "Me?"

Tigress pushed Po out of the way. "You mean me, master?"

"No, him," Oogway said. The Grandmaster took Po's hand a held it up to the sky. "The Universe has brought us the Dragon Warrior!"

"What?" Po said.

"What!" the Five and Shifu said.

"Well, this will be interesting," Shen said.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Here I go, back at it with a cliffhanger!**

 **Considering we didn't see the Five's challenges, I just highlighted Shen's and Karasu's trials. There's were different as Shifu didn't have any knowledge on their skills and they were allowed to make up their own showcases. The two of them also showed off some Chi abilities as well.**

 **If you thought Karasu would become the Dragon Warrior, nope! Despite the title of the story, Po will still have to fulfill his destiny, though with a few more helping hands this time.**

 **Next Time: Po joins the Jade Palace group, though not without a few hard knocks.**


	6. Season 1 Episode 4

"So… that just happened," Karasu said, watching the crowd of people picked up Po and dragged him into the Palace.

"It's probably for the better," Shen said, "if you got the title, the Five would be mad at you, as Tigress is with myself. At least a third party taking it shifts their ire onto someone else."

"That's kind of throwing him under the cart though," Karasu said. "If Oogway chose him, we should at least give him a chance."

Shen just shrugged and went off to explore the Palace. "If you need me, please let it be worth my time," he said.

"Well then," Karasu said to himself, watching the crowd disperse. After standing there for a minute, he decided that there must be _something_ for him to do. "May as well see what the training hall is like," the raven said, walking off towards the building.

Inside the hall the Furious Five were training on each of the course's obstacles: Crane balanced on the Jade Tortoise of Wisdom, Monkey jumped through the Seven-Talon Rings, Viper navigated the Field of Fiery Death, Mantis made his way through the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors, and Tigress punched through the Seven Swinging Clubs of Instant Oblivion. Karasu watched as each of the masters trained and decided to hone his own skills as well.

Unsheathing his sword, the raven started to perform basic swings and attacks, chopping at the air with power but finesse. In fact, he became so concentrated on his routine that he didn't notice when Po and Shifu came into the Training Hall, causing him to unknowingly take a slice at Po's midsection.

"Gah!" screamed the panda as the blade connected with his stomach.

"By the gods, I'm so, so sorry Po. I didn't notice you were there," Karasu said, sheathing his sword and bowing in apology.

"No, it's… fine?" Po said in confusion. The panda looked down to notice that the pain of what should have been a slow and painful death had gone away, the wound healing itself up like magic.

"What sorcery is this?" Shifu asked.

Karasu took out his sword again and showed it to the Jade Palace master, the other Five also gathering around. The sword's design was similar but opposite to Shen's Guan Dao, with the blade having a dragon etched into the metal and the handle being wrapped in white. "This is a Masamune Blade," the raven said, "also known as _Yawarakai-Te_. Its edge is sharp, but is only cuts when needed. An innocent will never be harmed by the blade, and those that are will be healed. So, when Po was cut, the pain was brief and the would sealed by itself."

 **(AN:** ** _Yawakarkai-Te_** **translates to "Gentle Hands")**

The other masters looked impressed, but Shifu got everyone's attention. "Very impressive, Master Raven," said Shifu. "Now, Panda, it is time for you to show us what _you_ can do. Take your pick." The red panda gestured to the training field of many deadly obstacles.

"Um… do you have anything easier?" Po asked, "I think something along a 'Level 0' would do."

"There is no 'Level 0' in Kung Fu," Shifu said.

"Technically, if you don't know any Kung Fu, you are a 'Level 0,'" Karasu said. Shifu just gave the raven a glare to shut him up.

"How about… this guy?" Po said, gesturing to a punching bag dummy in the corner of the hall.

"That?" Shifu questioned. "It's a tool for children to train with and prop the door open during when it gets hot inside."

"No, it's perfect," Po said, dragging it out and standing in a mock fighting pose to fight the dummy. "So, want to face me, huh? Think that look on your face will save you? Well to bad, get ready to feel the THUNDA!"

"Just hit it, Panda," Shifu said, not tolerating Po's shenanigans.

Po complied and gave a small tap to the punching bag, the dummy just lightly bobbing back and forth and hitting Po's stomach.

"Po, take this advice from me," Karasu said, noticing Shifu's impatience rising, "You have to actually put some force behind your punch."

The Dragon Warrior nodded and gave the dummy a reasonably good punch that it's head touches the floor. The panda looked satisfied at the masters, only to be launched by the dummy when it hit Po when it bounced back, launching the hapless warrior into the other dangerous obstacles.

"Lesson one Po: never take your eyes off of your opponent," Karasu said as they all watched Po bounce between each of the obstacles in hilarious but painful ways. The panda slipped through the Jade Tortoise, burned himself in the Fiery Field, got knocked silly in the Gauntlet of Wooden Warriors, and hit all Seven of the Talon Rings and Swinging Clubs. Finally, Po landed in a heap at the foot of the masters.

"Congratulations, Panda. There is now a 'Level 0,'" Shifu said.

 **[***]**

Later on that day, Shen had found a secret area of the Jade Palace; a natural hot spring that had been converted into a bath house by the palace servants. Relaxing in the warm waters gave Shen time to reflect on the past two days of excitement that had happened ever since he and Karasu had come to the Jade Palace. He would not be alone for long, however, as Karasu and a nervous Master Crane soon came into the room.

"There you are, Shen," Karasu said. "I was trying to find you as we have something we need to discuss with Master Crane here."

"Well, make yourselves comfortable, then," Shen said. Karasu nodded and began to remove his robes, causing Crane to get flustered.

"Wait, you want to get _in_ the bath with him?" Crane asked nervously.

"Come on, Crane, we're all guys here. Don't be nervous," Karasu said, removing his scarf last and getting in the spring. Crane sighed and took off his hat and pants, getting into the bath with the other avian warriors.

"So what is you require me to talk about?" Shen asked.

'Two things, actually," Karasu said. "The first is that Crane here is the closest of the Five to finding his Chi ability."

"I am?" the master asked, surprised.

"You have shown skill in controlling the winds," Shen noted, "however, there is a difference from using your natural skills and Chi. As a bird, we don't have to reach out to control the winds, as we bend it to take flight. No, Karasu has sensed something different, correct?"

The raven nodded. "Crane's power stems from another element, one that ties into a different part of his lineage." Karasu turned to the master, "I believe that your Chi aligns with the path of Water, the path of wisdom and talent in accuracy."

"Really? I never thought about Chi in that sense," Crane said. "To be honest, most of our training focuses on the physical, combative side and less on the spiritual."

"Karasu and I have tried to find a medium between the two," Shen said. "Our training has a focus on fighting, but we've learned to use our Chi to enhance our abilities to make up for raw strength," Shen said, holding up a wing and conjuring a small candle flame.

"So you control fire, and you control lightning," Crane said to the peacock and raven respectively.

"Actually, it's Aether," Karasu said, "or Void, but the name doesn't matter. My element represents spirit and creativity, the ability to connect to the world. As it doesn't have a physical form in the real world, this 'spiritual energy' conjures as lightning. It also allows me to sense the Chi in other people."

"Wow, that's deep," Crane said. The other two warriors nodded, all of three of them sitting in the hot spring for a few good minutes in silence. Eventually, Crane spoke up again, "So, what was the second thing you needed me for?"

"Oh, yes, that," Karasu said. "Shen, do you have that letter?"

"It's in my sleeves," he said, getting out of the bath. The other two birds got out as well, drying off with towels set out by the servants and put on their clothes."This," Shen said, holding a bound scroll, "is from the Lee Da Academy, addressed to you, from one Mei Ling."

"Mei Ling?" Crane asked in surprise, taking the scroll from the peacock. "Where did you get this."

"We met her in our travels throughout China," Karasu said. "She had us bring you this letter as we were coming here after we left Lee Da."

Crane nodded, "It's been so long since we've spoken. I wonder what she has to say." Steeling himself, Crane took off the binding and unfurled the scroll.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **And You'll find out what it said next time! (I'm so cruel with these cliffhangers, I know)**

 **Po has had his first day as a Kung Fu Master, and it went as well as we all expected. However, we also learned more about Shen and Karasu's abilities and their budding friendship with Crane.**

 **Karasu's sword, the Masamune Blade, is an actual sword in Japanese Mythology. It's counterpart, the Muramasa Blade, is also famous, but for opposite reasons; it cuts everything without mercy.**

 **Next Time: It's a flashback chapter, showing us the relationship of Crane and Mei Ling as well as how Shen and Karasu met her at the Lee Da Academy.**


	7. Season 1 Episode 5

_One Year before arriving in the Valley of Peace_

In the mountains lies the village of Lee Da, where the prestigious Lee Da Kung Fu Academy is located. At the moment, our heroes Shen and Karasu were approaching the academy, looking to further their skills by studying other warriors. Going into the courtyard the two were met with the students of the academy training under a Bull teacher.

"Excuse me," Shen said. The teacher and the students ignored the peacock, continuing with the training. " _Excuse_ me," Shen said, more emphasis in his voice. Still, the teacher and students ignored him. "EXCUSE ME!" Shen yelled, losing his patience after being ignored. Again, he was ignored.

"Let me try this," Karasu said. The raven looked around and spotted a gong to the side of the courtyard. Taking out a shuriken, Karasu throws the star at a nearby gong, hitting it with a resounding 'GONG!' and making all of the students stand at attention.

"Better," Shen said. The teacher turned to face the two birds, looking down at both of them.

"Why have you interrupted my student's training?" the bull asked.

"We are warriors that have traveled far to come here Lee Da," said Shen, "and we would be honored to observe the skills of your students."

The bull stared at them, only to erupt into a fit of laughter, his students following in suit soon after. Karasu and Shen just stood there as they laughed, looks of total indifference on their faces.

"You think that a sickly peacock and a scrawny raven are suitable to be warriors, much less have the honor of observing one of the greatest academies in all of China?" the bull questioned, still in hysterics from laughing so hard.

"And why shouldn't they?" asked a feminine voice from the crowd. The students parted to reveal a Golden Cat wearing a black vest and blue scarf. This was Mei Ling, the best student at Lee Da Academy and now one of the instructors of the school. "Crane was unassuming as these two are, and now he's one of China's greatest masters," Mei Ling said. "I don't see how these two could be any different."

"This is different, Mei Ling," said the bull. "Only the strongest survive at Lee Da, and these two would surely be- "

But he never got to finish that statement as he fell over flat on his face, Shen tripping him with his train feathers.

"Then I guess you won't last long here, hm?" Shen taunted, looking smug with his grin.

"You can't disrespect our teacher like that!" shouted one of the students, the others soon also getting riled up. "We'll take you on to restore his honor!"

"You guys need to cool down," Mei Ling said, taking out her bo staff.

"We can handle these guys," Karasu said, stepping in front of the golden cat and drawing his sword.

"Let us teach these novices a lesson in holding your tongue," Shen said, also stepping forward and drawing his Guan Dao.

Mei Ling was taken aback, but nodded, dragging the groaning bull off to get some treatment for his headache. "Alright, just don't injure them too much, okay? They are just students," she warned them. The two nodded and focused on the group in front of them.

With a battle cry one of the students, a wolf, charged forward at the warriors, only to meet the butt end of Shen's Dao and being flipped over onto his back. Some other students charged as well, but their strikes were dodged by Karasu whom ducked and used his sword to cut off the belts of his opponents, dropping their pants to the floor and making them run off in shame. Shen then dashed forward and swung at some of the larger students with the flat of his Guan Dao, knocking them into the smaller students and crushing them with their own weight.

"Guys, we've got to work together against them!" shouted one of the students. The students then surrounded the duo, both of them constantly looking to see which one would make the first move. Then the students all pounced on top of them, but the two birds jumped up, making their opponents crash into each other and land in a heap on the floor. Karasu and Shen landed in front of the groaning students as Mei Ling came back from the medical ward.

"So I think he'll be fine. You mostly bruised his ego and- wow, you guys clean up fast," Mei Ling said, impressed that the duo could take down that many opponents at once.

"We've fought larger groups," Shen said, "though to be fair, these guys weren't nearly as trained as those assassins were." The peacock walked past the golden cat, heading for the entrance to the school. "Come along, Karasu. This place has shown us all it can offer, which quite honestly was very poor in performance."

"Wait!" Mei Ling said. The two warriors turned to face her. "Where will you go next?"

"I believe our next destination is Gongmen City," Karasu said, "and after that, to the Valley of Peace to earn our titles as masters."

"If you're going to the Valley of Peace, then can you please take this?" Mei Ling took out a scroll from her belt and handed it to Shen, whom put it in his sleeve. "It's a letter for Master Crane. He lives at the Jade Palace, which is where you'll need to go if you want to earn your titles."

"We'll get this delivered when we get there," Karasu said, bowing to the golden cat. Mei Ling smiled, which did not pass the notice of the raven. "Master Crane means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

Mei Ling blushed a little at that. "He looked up to me when he worked here, and now he's one of the Furious Five. I was the only friend he had at the academy, in the whole village. If it wasn't for me, he might still be a janitor and not a warrior."

Karasu nodded and turned to Shen. "Then we shouldn't keep the lady waiting for a reply. In a year's time, we should have it delivered. Shen always prefers the scenic routes."

"Shen? As in the Prince of Gongmen?" Mei Ling gave a quick bow to the peacock. "I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you. Most of the royal peacock family never leaves Gongmen, so I didn't know their son was- "

"It's fine," Shen said, "most people don't expect me to look like this. But I think it makes me more memorable. And please, just called me Shen." The peacock gave her a slight smile before walking out with his companion. Mei Ling followed them with her gaze as they left, never looking back until they disappeared into the fog of the mountains.

 **[***]**

 _Present Day_

Crane opened the scroll and read it aloud. " _Dear Crane. I'm sorry if it's been a while since my last letter, but these past few years have been filled with new students at Lee Da. Many are still as arrogant and small-minded as when you left, but there are some that come here to genuinely learn the ways of Kung Fu. I have graduated from student to teacher and train the next generation of warriors, frequently giving the kids in the village basic lessons in self-defense. I hope that someday you can come and visit, or maybe I'll come and visit you? Be safe, and never forget your confidence comes from within. Your Best Friend, Mei Ling."_

Crane rolled the letter back up and gave a short bow to Shen and Karasu. "Thank you for delivering this," the Master of Crane style said.

"It was our pleasure," Karasu said, "just make sure that next time you meet, you treat the girl right."

"What!?" Crane said, becoming flustered again.

"Be nice to him, Karasu," Shen scolded. His frown quickly turned into a grin, "Besides, Crane will need more that confidence if he's going to take their relationship further."

"Guys, stop it!" Crane whined, covering his face with his hat as a blush furiously covered his face. The two warriors laughed and left to the dining hall, letting Crane sort himself out before dinner. It had been a long day, and little did the two know that it was but a start to a grand adventure.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **And so, we now know how Shen and Karasu met Mei Ling, as well as the two of then teasing Crane about some not so secret feelings he has for her.**

 _ **[EDIT: I fixed the name of the school in the previous chapter]**_

 **Can I just say that the timeline for this franchise is WEIRD? In the "Secrets of the Furious Five" short, it says that Crane was at Lee Da twenty years ago, but Tigress recruited him for the Furious Five when all of them where teens, which means that all of the Five are in their Forties. What makes this weird is that they all look to be the same age as Po, whom we can presume to be in his thirties as it was Thirty years after his village was attacked that the events of the second movie happened. So either one of the shorts got the timeline wrong, or the Five are WAY older than I thought they were.**

 **Anyway, that rant aside, next time we'll see our heroes go on their first mission together.**


	8. Season 1 Episode 6

**AN: It is time to return! Sorry for a long wait, I've been wrapping up another story and starting another. Luckily, I'm going to try a new schedule: I'll try to get a chapter out on Sunday and Wednesday, with the exception of holidays or other circumstances.**

 **Anyway, time for Shen and Karasu to return!**

* * *

"You've got to be kidding me," Karasu said. Master Shifu had given himself and Shen to task of cleaning up the training hall after Po's disastrous performance yesterday.

"It will go faster if we don't complain about it," Shen said to his companion, picking up a broom and sweeping away the broken pieces of wood.

Sighing, the raven picked up a bucket and cloth to go wipe away the blood from the equipment. The arduous task was completed by the two of them after three hours, which left Shen and Karasu in a sour mood as they left the training hall. Walking to the courtyard, they found Po trying and failing to perform even the simplest of Kung Fu maneuvers.

"No, no, no!" Shen said, walking up to the panda annoyed. The peacock pushed Po with his foot, forcing the panda onto his butt. "If you want to make any progress in Kung Fu, and by extension gaining the others' respect, then you need to learn about your inner strength."

"Oh, is that a super-secret technique that only masters know?" Po asked excitedly.

"No, it's assessing yourself to figure out what your strengths are," Karasu answered, "in other words, using your body to your advantage in battle."

Understanding that, Po nodded as Shen circled the Dragon Warrior, occasionally poking and prodding him, only muttering a few words under his breath. Eventually, the peacock came to a conclusion. "Well, he's fat, and that's his most defining feature," Shen said, straight as a board.

"So, not much to work with," Karasu said. "Po, what skills do have?"

"Well, I've spent most of my life cooking at my dad's restaurant, and that's pretty much it," the panda said.

"Cooking, you say?" Shen said. "While not an offensive skill, it does mean that you should have some skill with a knife."

"Um, dad doesn't let me use knives after I almost poked my eye out one time," Po said.

"Never mind then," the peacock said deadpan. "We will just have to come up with a different style for you learn."

"What about countering?" Karasu suggested. "It's a fighting style all about using your opponent's strength against them. Considering that out of all of us you're the biggest target, being able to redirect attacks would be to your advantage."

"Awesome," Po said, putting his hands together into a bow. "So, what's the first step?"

"Remember the dummy incident yesterday?" Karasu said."tthis time, _you_ need to be the dummy. Your natural body fat gives you a cushion against physical blows, so use that to your advantage by focusing on finding an opening."

"So… I should _try_ to get hit?" Po asked in confusion.

"No," Shen answered, "that would be stupid. What you need to do is try finding the flaw in another's fighting style. They throw a punch? Dodge and pull them towards you. They trip you? Fall towards them to pin them underneath yourself. There has never been a panda master of kung fu before, so you will have to figure out your own unique fighting style."

"I think I get it," Po said uncertainly.

"Well then, continue with your training. I want to go down to the village." With that, Shen left Po to his own devices as he and Karasu left the palace to go down into the Valley.

 **[***]**

Arriving in the Valley of Peace proper, the two warriors took their time exploring the various shops and stalls. While looking at what each shop had to offer, they were followed by a figure obscured in a cloak. Coming up behind them, the figure grabbed the two of them and pulled them into an alleyway.

"Hey! What's-" said Karasu, only to stop when he saw who was under the figure's hood. "Fenghuang, is that you?"

"You always were too perceptive, Karasu," said Fenghuang, removing her hood.

"It's good to see you, Fenghuang," said Shen. The owl released the two from her grip, letting them catch their breath. "Why are you here? I thought you wouldn't return to the Valley of Peace after what happened to you all those years ago."

"I heard that the Dragon Warrior had been chosen, and seeing as the two of you were going to be at the Jade Palace, I figured you could tell me all about him of her," Fenghuang said.

"He's a Panda," Shen said, Fenghuang's eyes widening in surprise. "He's also a massive idiot."

"Shen, be fair," Karasu scolded. "He has potential, but admittedly he has no skill in Kung Fu."

"Disappointing, but a Panda, you say?" the owl said intrigued. "Now that's _very_ interesting. Do you think he's the one you saved all those years ago?"

"It has crossed my mind," Shen said.

"So, what else have my students found?" Fenghuang asked.

"The new Furious Five seem to have potential for elemental chi," Karasu explained. "However, each of them seem to have something holding them back. Master Crane is the closest to unlocking his potential, and I suspect that he's a Water elemental like yourself."

"Ice elemental," the owl corrected, "but I would be interested in meeting the crane. I have set up a hideout in the Wudang Mountains, so bring him there if you're in the area." Pulling her hood back up, Fenghuang walked back into the crowd, disappearing from sight.

 **[***]**

Returning to the Jade Palace, the two birds were met by the sight of Po lying on the ground out of breath.

"Oh...hey guys...what's up?" Po greeted Shen and Karasu.

"Lesson two: pace yourself," the raven said, helping the panda to his feet.

"Sorry, I was trying to prove myself to the others," Po said. His stomach rumbled. "Oh boy. I need something to eat."

"Karasu, take the panda to the kitchen," Shen said. "I want to go have a talk with the Five."

Nodding, the raven led Po to into the palace while the peacock made his way to the training hall. Walking into the building, Shen was greeted to the sight of the Furious Five training. The peacock watched as the Kung Fu masters trained in the course, noting each of their styles and skills. With an eye for strategy, Shen was looking for potential flaws and patterns that could be useful to exploit if he had to battle any of them.

"What are looking at?" asked Viper, slithering up the peacock.

"Seeing how each of your allies train, how they fight," Shen answered.

"We're more than allies," Viper said. "We're a family."

"Well then, as a family you should be familiar to change," the peacock said. "I can tell that having Po, Karasu, and I here has disrupted what is considered 'normal' to you."

"It was a bit jarring for none of us to be chosen as the Dragon Warrior," Viper admitted, "Tigress has taken it the hardest."

"She has more issues that lie underneath her cold exterior," Shen said. "It is something that I must admit I can relate to. I can tell that you, Master Viper, are the heart of this team. It will be up to you to make sure that everyone stays together. Bonds are hard to forge, and even harder to rekindle. Like a tree, bonds must be grown naturally and with care."

Viper didn't say anything, but nodded. "So, what was that fire thing you did the other day?" she asked.

"That was a manifestation of my Chi," Shen answered. "Everyone has potential for it, but some of us can harness our Chi into a more physical form."

"Interesting," Viper said, "so, is it possible to learn this power?"

"It is, but you must first overcome your own problem to unlock your potential." Waving his wing, Shen pointed to each member of the Five. "Tigress is strong, but prone to anger. Mantis is fast, but overconfident to the point of self-destruction. Crane is wise, but lacks confidence in all of his skills. Monkey is loyal to his friends, but also very childish in his pranks and attitude. As their heart, you must be there for each of them."

Leaving the snake to her thoughts, the peacock left the training hall to return to Karasu.

 **[***]**

Meanwhile in the snow-covered mountains, the snow leopard Tai Lung, former student of Master Shifu, had recently escaped from Chor-Gom Prison. Walking through the mountain range, the leopard stopped as three figures appeared from the haze.

"So you have escaped, Tai Lung," said one of the figures.

"We have been waiting for your return," said the second.

"What is your first action?" asked the third.

"The Wu Sisters," Tai Lung said, "it is time for us to take revenge on the Jade Palace and reclaim my birthright. Go and gather the most fearsome of China's warriors. We will spread them thin and weaken them. Nothing will stop me from completing my destiny."

"Yes, Tai Lung," said the Wu Sisters, disappearing into the snow.

Tai Lung smiled sinisterly as he ran off to the Valley of Peace, ready to take revenge on his father-figure for denying his birthright.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **The time has come for the story to pick up the pace!**

 **Fenghuang has appeared, and she's the master to Shen and Karasu!? Wonder what the implications will be for the future.**

 **Shen is planting the seeds to having the Furious Five unlock their full potential, starting with Viper. Karasu has also continued to give his advice to Po.**

 **Tai Lung has also entered the scene, setting up the adventure that will ensue for our heroes.**

 **Next Time: an intruder enters the Jade Palace, letting Po and the two warriors prove their worth as fighters.**


	9. season 1 Episode 7

It was a dark and stormy night as the palace goose Zeng made his way back to the Jade Palace. Up in the dark clouds, it was impossible to see the looming threat overhead: a gang of vultures sent by Tai Lung to dispose of the messenger. Luckily for Zeng, Master Crane and Karasu were on the job, swooping in to grab the goose from harm.

"You need to be careful, Zeng," Crane said, dodging the vultures. "There has been more activity from the gangs around China recently."

"That's why I'm here!" Zeng said. "I have an urgent message for Master Shifu!"

"We'll get you there," Karasu said. The raven circled around the two, diving at the vultures as they got too close. "Crane, go on ahead and get to the Palace. You don't want to be near here when I unleash my Chi."

Nodding, the master of Crane Style flew off as Karasu pulled up into the clouds, reaching as high as he could go before unsheathing his sword and going into free-fall. As he plummeted, the storm seemed to intensify as the Masamune blade started to crackle with electricity.

"STORM STRIKE!" Karasu yelled, swinging his sword and making the lighting gathered around it shoot off at the vultures, frying them and clearing the sky. The raven panted heavily and sheathed his sword: that kind of attack wasn't taxing (he had spent his ninja training expanding his Chi to last days on end), but that kind of power can leave even a master winded when used against multiple foes.

 **[***]**

Back at the Palace, Zeng was giving his message to Shifu, the Five, Po, and Shen.

"Tai Lung has escaped! He's on his way here for the Dragon Scroll," the goose said.

"It will take Tai Lung some time to get here," Shifu said. "We must see to the village at once."

While the Five and Shen nodded, Po looked a bit hesitant; some big evil was coming and they expected _him_ to be the one to defeat him?

"Okay guys, sounds great!" the panda said, slowly walking back into the palace. "Let me just grab a snack so I can…uh…build up my…uh…chi."

The Five ignored Po as they went to go protect the village. Shen was going to follow, but he was stopped by Shifu.

"Master Peacock," Shifu said, "I would like you to stay behind and protect the Jade Palace. Maybe someone can have progress with the 'Dragon Warrior'."

Shen scowled, but nodded his head and went back inside to do what amounted to baby-sitting the panda. As the peacock went inside, he found Po standing dumbly in front the doors.

"Well, are you just going to stand there?" Shen asked.

"Um, no! Of course not," Po scoffed, leaning on one of the pillars in the Hall of Heroes.

"Then find yourself something to do- it's going to be a long night," the peacock ordered, deciding to actually look around the room.

There were many artifacts, such as Master Flying Rhino's armor, the Sword of Heroes, and the Sarcophagus of Su Wu.

"Pretty awesome stuff, right?" Po asked, standing next to Shen.

"I suppose so," the peacock responded.

"So, have we met before?" Po asked. "I mean, before you came to my dad's shop, cause he has this feather on his wall that looks similar to- "

"Ah, there you are!" Karasu said, entering the hall. "I thought you were down in the village with the Five and Shifu, but he told me to come up here with you."

"We're on guard duty," Shen stated. "Thus, we are out of the action."

"Well, that doesn't mean there isn't anything we can't do," the raven said. Looking around the room, he noticed something on the ceiling above the sacred pool. "Hey, how about we see what's in that scroll?"

"Um, Shifu wouldn't like that," Po said. "That's the Dragon Scroll. Only the Dragon Warrior can read it."

"So?" Karasu questioned. " _Y_ _ou're_ the Dragon Warrior, so maybe it'll help with your training? Or, better yet, since I'm the Dragon of Yang, I could probably also read it."

"Dragon of Yang?" Po questioned.

"It's his sacred title," Shen explained. "Where he's from, it's an equivalent to the Dragon Warrior, but different as the duties of the Dragon of Yang cannot be fulfilled unless he finds his opposite, the Phoenix of Yin, which I just happen to be."

"That's awesome!" Po exclaimed. "Does that mean I'll get super chi powers that let me summon a dragon!?"

"Perhaps," Shen mused.

Suddenly, the two were interrupted by laughter coming from Karasu. He was standing near the pool, holding the Dragon Scroll in his hands. Rolling the scroll back up, the raven flew up to the dragon mouth and put the scroll back in its place.

"Dude! You can't just read the Dragon Scroll! Think of how mad Shifu will get," Po exclaimed.

"What Shifu doesn't know won't hurt him," Karasu assured, walking off to go patrol the palace. As he did so, Shen decided to go with him, leaving Po in the Hall of Heroes alone.

"So, what did the scroll say?" Shen asked when they got far enough away.

"Nothing," Karasu replied.

"Oh, so it'll be a secret from me, then" Shen said. "And I thought we told each other everything."

"Then why don't you tell me about what you and Fenghuang did that one night you when off together? _Alone_?" Karasu asked, a smile more befitting of a fox on his face.

Shen's face soon turned from white to a brilliant shade of red. "That is between me and the master. End of story."

As the peacock ran off, Karasu yelled to him, "Come on, Shen! It was just a joke!"

 **[***]**

Later that night, Shen and Karasu met back up at the Hall of Heroes, not having found anything around the palace grounds. They did, however, find Po passed out asleep on the floor.

"If this is what China depends on to stop Tai Lung, we just might have to go to your homeland," Shen mused.

"Cut him some slack, Shen. I'm sure eventually-" Karasu was cut off when the roof of the palace shook, causing Po wake up and Zeng to run in.

"Intruders!" the goose yelled, "intruders in the palace!"

Immediately, the two birds drew their weapons, ready for a fight. Po got ready as well, though he just got into a typical Kung Fu stance. Soon boars descended from the ceiling, with smaller one fighting bare-fisted and bigger ones wielding axes.

"Alright guys, we need to defend the artifacts from these thieves," Po said.

"Yes/Agreed," Shen and Karasu said at the same time.

With that, the battle began. Shen effortlessly sliced through the boars, knocking the smaller ones together and making the bigger ones drop their axes. Karasu, on the other hand, decided to use this time to make sure Po knew how to fight.

"Po, aim your strikes at their heads," Karasu ordered. "That will take them out easily. And watch out for the ones with weapons."

Po nodded and leapt into action, using what basic moves he did know (which was mostly just some punches with a few kicks mixed in) to dispatch a few of the boars.

"Yes! Excellent!" Karasu praised. Not wanting to miss out on the action, the raven threw some ninja stars at the boars as they descended into the palace, knocking them down to the floor defeated.

Eventually, after a few waves of boars and some close calls with some of the artifacts almost being stolen, the trio had a break from fighting. It was short lived, however, when a _massive_ sword (which looked more like a giant serrated knife) dropped from the ceiling, an equally massive pig coming down as well. The pig was actually bigger than even Po, height wise at least.

"You dare to challenge the BLACKHOOF BOAR CLAN?!" shouted the boar at the heroes.

"You know, I thought his voice would be more intimidating," Karasu quipped.

"Focus, dude," Po said.

Starting this battle against the Boar Clan leader, the trio dodged as he came at them with his sword. Surprisingly fast with his weapon, the trio had to distance themselves before counter attacking. Karasu was the first to strike, using his speed to jump between the pillars for cover. Eventually, the raven was moving so fast that it looked like there were multiple versions of himself, confusing the boar. Taking this chance, Karasu jumped from behind and landed a solid blow on the clan leader's back.

Shen took his turn next, engaging head on with the boar. Weapons clashing, the peacock flashed his train to distract the boar. However, while it gave him the chance to strike the boar's front, it also gave Po a sudden flash of what could only be described as a buried memory.

 _He's in a field. There are other pandas around him._

 _The sound of a howl. Wolves?_

 _Fleeing from something, in the arms of a female. Mother?_

 _Two piercing red eyes looking down at him, a train feather placed with the young panda._

"Po!" Karasu shouted, snapping the panda out of his flashback.

"What? I…I'm fine," Po said, unsure of what just happened.

"The Blackhoof Boar leader is almost down, help us out," Karasu said.

Jumping into action, the panda took his own turn in the fight. He dodged the swings from the boar's sword by rolling out of the way, though he couldn't find an opening to attack. Suddenly, he got an idea.

"Hey, tall, dark, and smelly!" Po shouted.

The clan leader turned his head as a ball of black and white came charging at his face, sending him across the hall and onto the floor, unconscious.

"Skidoosh!" Po cried, doing a little victory dance.

"That was impressive, panda," Shen complimented. "Making your own moves is a key step in becoming a master. What do you plan on calling it?"

"How about the 'Panda Roll'?" Po said.

"Sounds good to me," Karasu said, sheathing his sword.

At that moment, Shifu walked in through the front of the palace, quickly noticing the unconscious bodies of the Blackhoof Boar Clan strewn about.

"What happened here?" the master asked.

Zeng, coming out of his hiding place, simply pointed towards Po and the two warriors, all three of them smiling with Po doing a few Kung Fu poses.

"I see. You did…well, panda," Shifu said with a reluctant tone.

"I did?" Po said, "I mean-yeah-I did! 'Cuz you know, I used my 'super, bamboo, panda awesomeness!' and Shen was all 'fiery peacock slice and dice' while Karasu was all 'secret shadow raven strikes' and…uh…"

Shifu could only hold his head as Po continued to drone on, Shen and Karasu just chuckling as the red panda had to deal with it.

"FOCUS!" Shifu yelled, snapping the panda out of his speech. "I need you to _focus_. While we were in the village, we heard that the Croc Gang has invaded Lotus Lake. Word is starting to spread about Tai Lung. We've got to do something."

"The Croc gang? We've dealt with them before," Karasu stated.

"Good. Then I will send Master Crane with the three of you to assist the villagers," Shifu said.

"WHOA! The three of us and Master Crane? OH, WAHOO!" Po exclaimed, with the others holding their ears from the volume of his voice. "I need to pack my stuff! This will be so cool!" the panda said, running off back to his room.

Crane turned to the two warriors. "You don't have to come if you don't want to," he said.

"No, I believe that this will be a nice change of pace from being here at the palace," Shen said. "Besides, it has been a long time since we've been to Lotus Lake. Perhaps we will meet some of our allies there."

"And it will be a great place to find your Chi element," Karasu said, putting his wing on Crane's. "That is, if you're okay with that, Master Shifu. He is your student after all."

Shifu stared at the raven for a moment, before giving a simple nod. "I suppose that is acceptable," the red panda said. "If we are to prepare for a battle with Tai Lung, then we will need all of the strength we can find."

"Alight!" Karasu said, "then off to Lotus Lake!"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Time for the story to pick up the pace! From here on out, the story will be following the plot of the Video Game for the first movie, with some other adventures to flesh out the story.**

 **Po is starting to find his own style, and questioning Shen about his past. Having someone that can give him answers will be helpful I the future, but not what he may be expecting.**

 **The technique that Karasu uses against the Boar Leader is an actual technique ninjas used: jumping between places in a fast manner to make it look like you're in multiple places at once (if you've seen Naruto, it's the real-life version of Shadow Clones).**

 **Also, Chi Limits: While not really defined in the movies, in this story Chi being used as an ability takes energy from the user. You can train to increase your amount, but how the big the attack is will determine the strain on the user (for instance, a big explosion will take more Chi from a bug than a rhino). However, Karasu has trained so that while big attacks (like his Storm Strike) take a lot of energy in the moment, he quickly recovers to top condition due to his Chi pool being so large. Though with how much Chi he has, it may lead to being a target for a certain villain in the future.**

 **PM me or leave a review of you want to know more about character's abilities in the future!**


	10. Season 1 Episode 8

"Come on dad," Po said. "I'm the Dragon Warrior now. It's my duty to protect China."

"No son of mine is going on some Kung Fu adventure with a bunch of lunatics to fight bandits!" Mr. Ping scolded. "You are going to stay here and get back to making noodles. No more of these fantasies."

"Mr. Ping, if I may," Shen said, letting himself into the conversation. "I would like to have a private conversation with you."

"humph, fine," Mr. Ping huffed. The two birds went into the back of the noodle shop, away from Po, Karasu, and Crane.

"Now that we're alone, I must ask. Where did you find the panda?" Shen asked.

"I…I found him in the radishes all those years ago," Ping said. "He was so small, for a panda, and I couldn't let a child live without a father."

"…I must tell you something then," the peacock said. "When I was but a teenager, all those years ago, I saved a panda from a pack of wolves that slaughtered his entire village. I hid him in a radish cart, along with one of my train feathers." Looking to the wall, Shen saw the feather pinned to it. "I promise that as I did before, I will protect your son with my life. Any harm that comes to him I will repay you in any way I can, on my honor as a Master and the Prince of Gongmen."

"Wait, _you're_ Lord Shen?" Mr. Ping said astonished.

"Don't go yelling it to the people," Shen said, deadpan in tone. "I don't mention my title to many, but I felt that it would assure you of my honor to my word."

Ping took a step back, unable to think of how to respond. "I know I can't convince Po to give up on his dreams, but as his father I can't help but worry about him. Please, keep my son safe, and bring him home to me."

Shen bowed to the goose. "You have my word. I protected him before, and I will do so again."

 **[***]**

With their mission in mind, the four heroes made their way to Lotus Lake, with the fastest way to get there being through the bamboo forest.

"Guys, I don't think I'll be able to make it," Po said, straggling behind the group. "Go on without me, save China. I'll catch up eventually."

"Panda, we have barely left the Valley of Peace," Shen said. Indeed, the group had just entered the bamboo forest, with many miles to go to reach Lotus Lake.

"If you want to live up to your title, stamina will be key to success," Karasu said, doubling back to help Po carry on. "You want to impress Shifu and the Five, right? Then get up and continue the mission."

Nodding, Po continued to walk with the group, albeit everyone moving slower to let the panda stay at their pace. As they traveled through the bamboo forest, Karasu couldn't help but feel that they were being watched.

"The forest seems more quiet than usual," Crane noted. "Be on your guard, guys."

Shen readied some of his knives in his sleeves as Karasu focused on any unusual sounds that may occur. Crane looked around nervously as to be prepared for an attack, while Po was blissful unaware of any danger and decided to eat some of the noodles his dad packed for him.

"Shen, to your right. There's something in the trees," Karasu said.

Throwing a knife, the group was surprised when a crocodile fell out of the cover of the bamboo, clutching his arm the knife lodged into.

"Ack! Croc Bandits, attack!" said the croc.

Soon, other crocodiles came out of the forest, some brandishing axes and others fighting bare-handed. The four heroes got into battle stances, ready to face the enemy. Crane took to the sky, using the forest as cover for him to dive-bomb the crocs from above. Shen used his Guan Dao to disarm the bandits, with Karasu backing him up with his bow and arrows. Po, not fit for battle due to him still eating his noodles, stumbled through the fight and into the leader of the bandits, the croc getting a bowl full of steaming noodles to the face.

"Oh! I am so sorry about that," Po said.

"You stupid panda!" the croc said, "why would you-?" The croc stopped as he got a taste of the noodles, instantly ceasing his rant. "What _is_ this?" he asked. "This is the most amazing dish I have ever tasted."

"They're my dad's secret recipe," Po said. "I probably have enough to feed all of you guys, if you want."

"Croc Bandits, stop attacking these guys!" the leader ordered. The other bandits stopped attacking the masters, but not before Karasu accidentally let an arrow lose at one of them.

"Ah, my leg!" said the unlucky bandit.

"Darn it, Gary!" said the leader, throwing his helmet on the ground. "I told you to wear your armor, but you didn't listen."

"Ghari? Wait a minute, Fung!?" Karasu asked in suprise.

"Wait, Karasu?" Fung said. "I haven't seen you guys in forever! Where have you been?"

The raven and croc shared a high-five as the raven replied, "You know, stopping bad guys, training hard on our abilities, earning our Master titles. The usual."

"You know these guys?" Crane asked, confused at the situation.

"We met Fung and his gang on our journey across China," Shen said. "Though I thought that you joined the Imperial Croc Army last we met?"

"We got kicked out since then," Ghari said.

"Shut up, Gary," Fung said. He took a sip from his noodles and continued, "We kicked ourselves out. The queen was a jerk and wanted to work for some snow leopard guy to terrorize the tortoises up at the Lake of Tears. That totally goes against our code of killing innocents."

"Wait, that's in the Lotus Lake region," Crane said. "And did you say a snow leopard? That means that the Imperial Croc Army is working for Tai Lung. Then we have no time to lose! We need to get to Lotus Lake as soon as possible."

"Oh, you're heading up that way? Then you should look out for Lidong. He's my cousin and a massive powerhouse. He's moved up the ranks to be one of the queen's top commanders, so be careful around her hideout," Fung warned.

"Will do," Karasu said. "Come on team, let us continue to Lotus Lake."

As they left the Croc Bandits, Po groaned as he realized something. "I just gave those guys all of my snacks," the panda whined.

 _'That was just his snacks?'_ the three birds thought to themselves.

 **[***]**

At Lotus Lake, the Crocodile Queen looked down at the boar in front of her.

"What are you doing here, pig?" asked the queen, caressing the terrified baby tortoise in her grasp.

"Queen of the Imperial Croc Army, I am the only member of the Blackhoof Boar clan left," the boar said. "While our assault on the Jade Palace was a failure, I was able to steal one of the sacred artifacts from the Hall of Warriors." The boar presented the queen an artifact: a war hammer. "Let me present to you the Sacred War Hammer of Lei Lang."

* * *

 **Author' Note**

 **And next time, our heroes will get to the Lake of Tears to take on the Imperial Croc Army.**

 **I hope you guys like the interaction between Mr. Ping and Shen. I wanted Ping to know about Po's past before the panda did himself, so I wrote this scene to explain that as well as to give Mr. Ping some assurance that his son will be safe.**

 **And hey, Fung and his Croc Bandits showed up. But we also found out the Croc Queen has her hands on a dangerous weapon (if you don't remember the episode the Sacred War Hammer was it, what it does is destroy anything it gets swung at, including entire villages). Let's hope our heroes can stop her and her army.**


	11. Season 1 Episode 9

Last Time on "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang"

 _Learning of Tai Lung's escape, Master Shifu put Po, Shen, and Karasu in charge of guarding the Jade Palace. After fending off the Blackhoof Boar Clan, the three heroes have been tasked to team up with Master Crane to go to Lotus Lake and defeat the Imperial Golden Croc Gang._

* * *

 _Lake of Tears_

The group arrived at Lotus Lake (specifically the Lake of Tears) where they were greeted with the leader of the village, a tortoise woman.

"Master Crane!" the village chief said. "And you must be Po, Master Raven, and Master Peacock. We've heard about you! Thank goodness you're here!"

"What's the problem, mam?" Karasu asked.

"It's been awful! The crocodiles! They're everywhere! They're trying to steal our hatchling eggs," the woman said.

"Strange," Shen said, "I don't see how stealing children would help Tai Lung in his revenge against the Jade Palace."

"Well, you guys figure this out. I think I'll let the Master's deal with the Crocs," Po said, looking a bit nervous.

Crane cleared his throat. "Mater Shifu said this for _all_ of us to do, Po."

"My! You must be experienced warriors," the village chief said.

"Us? Yes," Karasu said, Shen nodding in agreement. "Po, however…"

"But you have years of training!" the woman said.

"Well, uh…" Po trailed off, rubbing the back of his head. The woman turned to Crane, the avian shaking his head 'no' to answer her gaze.

"Okay, then how good are you at finding eggs?" the chieftain asked the panda.

"Eggs? Me? Tops!" Po said, giving a thumbs up.

"Okay then, that's the plan," Crane said. "You're on foot, Karasu and Shen can fight the Crocs, and I'll search overhead. Good Luck." With a tip of his hat, the waterfowl flew off to look for the eggs.

"Okay then, good-bye Po and company. I'll meet you on the other side of the lake," the village chief said, swimming off into the lake.

"Wait, other side? What?" Po asked, calling out to the woman.

"Well, it seems we have our mission," Shen stated. "Find the eggs and get them to the village chief. "

"Right, then let's not waste any time. Po, you're with me. Shen? You can use your long sleeves to hold the eggs as we find them," Karasu said.

With that, the three heroes were off into the Lake of Tears, crossing over bridges and jumping on giant lily pads to traverse the area. While they didn't find any crocodiles, they did find the first two eggs.

"Sweet! We've found some of the eggs!" Po exclaimed, picking them up.

"Be careful, panda," Shen warned. "Those eggs hold life inside of them. They must be handled with care, so whatever you do, don't- "

CRACK! Before Shen could finish, Po dropped the eggs onto the ground, his grip letting the eggs slick with water fall.

"PO!" Karasu scolded, "you just killed two children!"

Before the raven could rant further, a wining noise was heard as the group looked down to see two baby tortoises crying on the ground.

"Or you just hatched them," Karasu stated. "Okay, new plan. _Po_ will take care of these two while Shen and I go get the rest of the eggs." With that, the raven and peacock ran off to find the rest of the eggs, leaving Po with two crying babies.

"Guys, wait! Don't leave me here!" the panda called to them. He looked down to see the two baby tortoises had gotten into the lake and were swimming to who knows where. "Hey! Come back here little guys!" Po shouted, traversing the lily pads to follow the two hatchlings.

 **[***]**

Sometime later, the two warriors hand found four other eggs, with Shen holding them in his robes for safe keeping.

"I believe that we are halfway through with our little egg search," the peacock said. "I wish we had a boat or something to traverse this lake, however. Not everyone that comes through Lotus Lake is a tortoise."

Karasu held up a wing, wanting silence to focus. "I hear something in the water," the raven said. Putting a hand on his sword, Karasu focused then struck as a crocodile with a mace on his tail jumped out of the water at the two heroes, the raven slicing at the fiend's belly and knocking him back into the water.

"The Imperial Golden Croc Army," Shen said. "They must be after the eggs. Quickly, we must get to the other side of the lake."

As more crocs circled the landmass they were standing on, Karasu gave out a frustrated sigh. "I wish I could use my Chi to fry these guys, but that could risk anyone else in the nearby area to get shocked as well. Let us go."

The raven taking the lead with his sword to combat any other attackers, the duo ran off to find the last remaining eggs and to get to the village chief.

By the time Shen and Karasu got to other side, Po was already there, conversing with the village chief.

"Egg Master Po!" the woman said, seeing all of the hatchlings and eggs the group had collected.

"Um, I really wish you wouldn't say that out loud," Po said. "It's kinda not Kung Fu-y sounding, ya' know?"

"Too late for that," Shen snarked. "Ah, and here comes Crane."

Indeed, Master Crane was flying down to meet the group, landing next to Po. "I see that you found all of the eggs," he said. "I scouted ahead and found out where the croc's leader is."

"The Crocodile Queen has set up her lair in the town plaza," the village chief explained. "You must get there fast!"

Before anything else could be said, the ground shook as if an earthquake had happened. Everyone felt it's effects, making Po fall over onto his stomach from the force.

"What's happening?" the panda asked.

"No, it can't be!" Crane exclaimed, "this area doesn't get earthquakes. The only thing that can cause one like this is the Sacred War Hammer of Lei Lang! The Five and I had found it on one of our missions and kept it in the Palace for safe keeping. One of the boars must have escaped with it and brought it here!"

"Then let's stop them before the whole village is destroyed!" Karasu exclaimed, flying off to the town plaza. Shen followed after his friend, though since he couldn't fly he instead hopped across lily pads.

Crane turned to Po. "Po, if you want to help, then you'll need some other way across. I don't think I can carry you because of your…"

"Weight? I know, I'm fat," the panda said.

"I can take you across," the chieftain offered. The woman got into the lake. "Just stand on my shell and I'll swim you across."

"Alright then, see you at the town plaza," Crane said, flying off to join the other two birds for their confrontation with the queen.

 **[***]**

When the heroes gathered near the town plaza, they found the Crocodile Queen sleeping with a baby tortoise in her clutches.

"There's the queen, but where's the hammer?" Shen asked, his partner giving him a shrug.

The two of them paid little notice as Po went to go grab the baby. While he did get the infant, he also ended waking up the queen.

"Who dares wake me?" the Crocodile Queen demanded.

At that, Po high-tailed it back to the others, only to be blocked by a _massive_ crocodile holding a war hammer in his claws. "Woah huge croc," the panda squeaked, backing up towards the group slowly.

"Ah, Lidong, my loyal and highest-ranking soldier," the Queen said. "Do your queen a favor and wipe out these pests for me? I might just make you my new king for it."

"Whatever you say, my liege," Lidong said. Jumping into the water, the crocodile held the Sacred War Hammer high in the air and brought it down on the water, causing a giant wave that towered over the entire plaza to form.

"Guys, this is _bad_. Like really, really, REALLY bad," Po said.

"Crane, you need to get Po and the baby out of here. Crane?" Karasu said. Not getting a response, the raven looked over to see the master frozen in place, a look of sheer terror on his face.

"Your friend is too scared to do anything!" The Queen laughed, "and now you will all die because of him!"

"Crane, we need your help!" Shen said. "Being a warrior means putting aside your fear to help others!"

"He's right," Karasu said. "Our fears are what makes us strong, as they let us overcome obstacles, like a GIANT WAVE THAT'S GOING TO KILL US!"

Crane stood still, but then listened to the words that the two of them were saying. _'They're right,'_ he thought. _'I need to stand up and face this head on.'_ Stepping forward, Crane felt something new yet familiar, something that a friend taught him long ago. _Confidence_.

"I won't let my fears get in the way of me. Not while my friends need me!" the bird shouted. Taking a deep breath, Crane reached out with his wings and _pushed_ , the incoming wave seeming to part as the water flowed harmlessly off to either side of the group.

"What?" Lidong and the Queen said in disbelief.

"So you were right. Crane is a Water Elemental," Shen said to his partner.

"What was that?" Crane asked, looking at his wings in wonder.

"It was your Chi manifesting as an elemental power," Karasu explained. "By overcoming your fears and believing in yourself, you unlocked your true potential."

"That was totally awesome!" Po exclaimed, hugging the master.

"Po, you're crushing my ribs," Crane said, gasping for air.

"Enjoy your little victory," Lidong said. "As long as I wield this hammer, I'll bring the entire lake down on you!"

"Only if you can catch us first!" Po said, taking the baby tortoise and running to the edge of the Lake. As he jumped onto a lily pad, Crane came overhead and picked the panda up, using his newfound Water abilities to boost Po into the air.

"Lidong, after them, I'll deal with these two," the Queen said, turning to face Shen and Karasu.

The two birds drew their weapons as the Queen came at them with her tail, the two jumping over it as the mace-end got stuck in a rock. Shen took the opportunity to get in a few hits on the Queen while Karasu stood back and charged his sword with electricity.

"Shen, get her into the water. I've got a plan," the raven said.

"Got it," the peacock said. As the Queen recovered, Shen used his Guan Dao to parry her every attack, from claw swipes to tail strikes, until she fell into the water.

"Fools! The water is a crocodile's natural element!" the queen boasted.

"Not if it's electrified," Karasu said, his sword humming from the electricity surrounding it. "Electric attack, SWORD STRIKE!" Swinging the blade, the gathered electricity hit the Crocodile Queen right in the face, covering her head-to-toe in lightning and frying the surrounding plants that were in the water.

Shen looked on as the now lifeless body of the croc floated down the lake, burned to a crisp by the lightning. "Remind me never to turn evil so I don't end up like her," the peacock said, a bit frightened by his companion's power.

"Hey, as long as we're together, nothing is going to turn my sword on you," Karasu said. "Come on, let's make sure that Crane and Po are okay."

 **[***]**

When the two warriors found Po and Crane, they were lying at the foot of the village chief with Po lying on top of Crane.

"Egg master! You saved my grandchild!" the chieftain said. "You are a true hero."

"Um, I-I helped you know," Crane said, getting up from the ground.

"Indeed you did," Shen said, joining the conversation. "So, what happened to Lidong and the Sacred Hammer? We took care of the Queen."

"Yep, she's as cooked as a bad bowl of noodles," Karasu said. "And you mustn't be so humble, Crane. If you didn't unlock your Chi powers, all of the Lake of Tears would be washed away."

"Guys, you're making me blush," Crane stammered, pulling his hat down over his face.

"Sorry about the hammer, but I fell down the waterfall when we lost Lidong over it," Po said."It's probably at the bottom of the lake by now."

"Then we'll fish it out and return to the Jade Palace to tell Shifu that the Imperial Golden Croc Army is defeated," Karasu said.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **The Croc Army has been defeated, and Crane has unlocked his Chi abilities! What potential will the other Five unlock?**

 **I hope that Karasu killing the Crocodile Queen wasn't too shocking. Just because he uses a sword that doesn't hurt the innocent, remember that he** ** _is_** **a ninja, AKA an assassin. It's just that he only kills people that are a threat to all of China or are irredeemable with no hope of return.**

 **Next time will be a bit of a slower chapter, with the rest of the Five learning of Crane's newfound powers and learning a bit more about Shen and Karasu's past.**


	12. Season 1 Episode 10

**AN: What's this, a second chapter a day after another? I was so pumped from last chapter that I wanted to get another out as soon as possible. Enjoy!**

* * *

Arriving back at the Valley of Peace, the heroes were greeted by Master Shifu and the other of the Furious Five. The four bowed in respect as Crane presented the Sacred War Hammer to Shifu.

"The Imperial Golden Croc Army has been defeated, and we recovered the Sacred War Hammer of Lei Lang that had been stolen from the Jade Palace," Crane explained.

Shifu took the hammer and looked at the heroes; he seemed almost impressed. "Good job, Master Crane," Shifu said. "You did a good job leading these warriors on your mission. I trust that Po and the others behaved themselves?"

"Um, actually Master, it was Po, Shen, and Karasu that completed most of the mission," Crane admitted.

"Don't sell yourself short, dude," Po said, side-hugging Crane. "If you didn't use those awesome Chi powers to stop Lidong, the entire Lake would have been flooded."

That statement got the Five's attention.

"You unlocked your Chi powers, Crane?" Mantis asked.

"Um, yeah," Crane said. The bird held out his wings and, with a bit of concentration, a ball of water appeared and floated within his grasp. The others looked in awe at the display, before the ball of water dissipated back into energy.

"Very good, Crane," Karasu said. "You're still a long way from fully controlling Water, but you've quickly improved from just moving water in the lake."

"Maybe we should take this conversation inside," Shifu suggested. "I'm sure you all would like to tell us about your mission."

Shen nodded in agreement. "I believe you're right, Master Shifu," the peacock said. "Come along, Egg Master. You can make us some food for dinner. It is getting late."

" _Shen_ , please don't call me that," Po whined, following him inside the Palace.

 **[***]**

Later that night, at a small lake on top of the mountains behind the Jade Palace, Karasu and Crane stood in silence, looking up at the stars.

"So, is there a reason that you wanted to meet me out here?" Crane asked.

Karasu didn't say anything, instead unsheathing his sword and sticking the blade into the ground. "I have a friend that is going to meet us out here to help develop your Chi ability," the raven said, sitting down in a meditative pose. "Please, come sit with me while we wait."

Crane nodded and sat next to Karasu, though due to his long legs he settled for more of a crouch than a meditation pose.

"You brought your calligraphy brush, correct?" the raven asked.

Crane nodded, taking out a blank scroll and paintbrush.

"Good. Now, while recognizing and overcoming your flaws is how you unlock your Chi, mastering it is another process. It is your passion that will help you master your abilities. For instance," Karasu explained, standing up and picking up his sword. "This blade is my family's heirloom, said to forged by a dragon that dwells in a mystic, ancient city. I spent my life mastering its edge, learning to use my skills to help the innocent. There's a reason the Masamune Blade can only hurt those of evil intent: it was forged with care and love."

The raven sheathed the sword. "But back to Chi. Just as I have used my passion for mastering the Katana to harness Lightning, you should use calligraphy to harness Water."

"Well said, my student," said a voice from behind Karasu. The two avians turned to see Fenghuang standing there, though their reactions to her were very different.  
"Fenghuang!?" Crane shouted in surprise, jumping up into a fighting stance. "Shifu warned us about you."

"Crane don't," Karasu said, holding out a wing. "Fenghuang is here as she will be the one helping with your training."

"What?" Crane said in disbelief.

"I know what you're thinking: how could a vile and evil person such as myself help someone as noble and heroic as you?" Fenghuang said in a mocking tone. She chuckled a bit. "In all seriousness though, I'm not as bad as your master claims I am. I have… improved my attitude with so many years spent in isolation, though it's mostly thanks to Shen and Karasu that I'm even willing to help you."

Crane blinked, but was unmoving from his fighting stance. "And if you're lying?" he asked.

"Then you can try to explain to Shifu that Fenghuang tried to assist you in mastering Chi and that Shen and Karasu are in league with her," the owl said with a smirk.

Crane thought about it, then sighed. "You're right: Shifu wouldn't believe me," he said. "Fine, I'll let you help me, but I won't hesitate to hurt either of you if you betray me."

"Fair enough, I would do the same in your position," Karasu said. "Fenghuang, you may take over from here."

"Thank you, raven," the owl said. "Now then, crane, let us begin. While I myself am an Ice elemental, it shares enough similarities to Water that I can easily teach you the basics. The first thing you should do is imagine the water as the ink on your brush. Will it to move as you want to. Water is free-flowing and malleable, so treat it as such."

Crane, taking his brush in his talon, closed his eyes and waved the tool to the side. Instantly, a stream of water from the lake moved with the brush, before splashing down into the lake.

"Good job, Crane," Karasu said. "Now, maybe try it _with_ your eyes open."

"Right, right," Crane said. With his eyes opened this time, he waved the brush in a manner as if painting a picture, and the water complied to his will, suspending in mid-air and forming an image of the Chinese symbol for 'Water.'

"Yes, that's the way to do it," Fenghuang complimented. "If you keep it up like this, you'll be using Water in combat in no time. In fact- Karasu, I want you to battle the crane here."

"Well, we already did that, but I guess a rematch is in order," the raven said.

"W-w-wait! Don't you think we're moving a bit fast?" Crane stammered.

"The best way to learn is to apply what you've learned," the owl said. "But if you two have already fought, then this time you should only use your Chi."

Karasu nodded, setting aside his sword and sending a few sparks between his wings. "The best way to use Chi in combat is to incorporate it into how you already fight. You use distance to tire your opponent out, right? Then use the water to keep me away from you."

Not giving any time to prepare, the raven hired a small bolt of lightning at Crane: it wouldn't kill him, but it would give a shock equivalent to a joy buzzer. Crane squawked and instinctively threw his wings up, making water instantly blocking the bolt.

"See? Now that you can use it, your Chi comes naturally to you," Fenghuang said.

"Alright," Crane said. "Let's do this."

The battle resuming, Crane utilized his Chi to send water at Karasu, with the raven firing electric bolts in return. The two sparred, trading blows and dodging each attack as it came their way, before Karasu jumped back and reclaimed his sword.

"Time to show you what Chi looks like when pushed to the limit," the raven said. Sword sparking to life, the sky seemed to darken as a bolt of Lightning came down and struck the sword, causing the dragon design on it to glow and form an illusionary dragon behind Karasu. "This is my strongest attack- which means you should move out of the way." Crane did as he was told and took as stance next to Fenghuang. "Pushed to the limits, AETHER DRAGON STRIKE!"

With that proclamation, Karasu charged forward and launched a massive swing, the dragon flying forward and utterly _decimating_ a few trees on the other side of the lake.

"BY THE GODS!" Crane exclaimed, jumping as he felt the power coming off of the attack.

Karasu sheathed his sword and fell to the ground, panting and sweating heavily. "While it's powerful, it takes virtually all of my Chi. Luckily, it normally defeats the opponent instantly," the raven then put a scowl on his face. "All accept _one_ opponent that shall never be named."

"Don't hold that battle over your head," Fenghuang said, taking the raven into her wings and patting his head lightly. "You did very well in that tournament in the other world."

 **(AN: I never established this, but height-wise Karasu a third of Shen's height, thus shorter than Fenghuang but taller than most of the normal villagers)**

'I know, it's just that I felt like _I_ should have one," Karasu berated himself.

"Look at it this way- that battle showed that you still have room to become stronger," the owl said.

"Other world?" Crane muttered. "What does that mean?"

"Not of your concern," Fenghuang dismissed Crane's comment. "Now then, I must say that- "

But Fenghuang never got to answer as she was blindsided by Shifu and the other Furious Five, holding the owl down on the ground.

"Crane! Get back!" Shifu ordered. "Fenghuang is a dangerous opponent that you cannot face alone."

Shen ran up to the commotion, with Po in tow as well. "Karasu, there you are," the peacock said, helping his friend up. "I didn't realize that you were training this close to the Palace. The others say your Chi attack and came to investigate and- is that Fenghuang?" Shen ran over the group and knocked them all off with his Dao, helping the owl up. "What are you doing here?"

"I was helping to train the crane in the art of Chi manipulation," the owl replied.

"Master Peacock, you know this fugitive?" Shifu said.

Karasu and his peacock companion froze and turned to see a furious Shifu, an equally angry Five, a nervous Crane, and a confused Po.

"I think we may need more time to deal with this," Karasu said, pulling a smoke pellet out of his belt. Before he could do anything, though, he was knocked unconscious (along with Shen and Fenghuang) by Oogway, appearing behind them.

"I believe that everyone here needs to explain this," the tortoise said.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Oh boy, this is bad for our heroes. Fenghuang has been found out and Shen and Karasu are in hot water with the Jade Palace crew. How will this play out?**

 **Crane's Chi style is interesting: I want each person that uses it in the story to have an object/ hobby that ties into their ability. Since Crane is seen doing calligraphy (at least in the first movie), his style will be about graceful strokes and making simple yet effective structures out of water.**

 **Also, if you want to know about the tournament Karasu and Fenghuang are talking about, go check out the story "Power Struggle Tournament" by Fanfic author Alex The Owl. Karasu was a part of the tournament in that story, and it counts as 'soft canon' to this one: characters may reference the events in it, but it happened in an alternate world, thus not all of the events in that story happened in this world. However, Alex and I may do a crossover in the future, so be on the lookout for that.**

 **What do you think will happen to our warrior duo and their master now that they've been caught? Leave a review below!**


	13. Season 1 Episode 11

Groaning, Karasu slowly awoke from unconsciousness, rubbing his head as he stood up on cold stone. Looking around, the raven noticed that he was in a cell in some kind of some cage, with his wings chained to the wall and Shen chained across from him in a separate cell. Fenghuang was nowhere to be seen, but there was a strange owl-shaped cage in the area with them. The 'cage' more resembled a sarcophagus from ancient Egypt, stood upright with the eyes on it cut out for whoever was inside to see out of.

There was one other thing that was missing, however. "Where's my scarf?" Karasu asked. No one answered him. "I asked, where. Is. My. SCARF!" he screamed, struggling with his chains as he tried to break free.

"It's right here," Crane said, throwing the garment into the cell. "Sorry that we took it, but Shifu didn't want any of you to have something on your body that could be used to help you escape."

"Why is it so important to you?" Mantis asked. "It's just a scarf."

"It is _not_ 'just a scarf,'" Karasu mimicked back at the bug. "My mother made that for me, and it was to be a gift for completing my ninja training until- " The raven stopped, looking down as he slumped a bit. "Why should I tell you? I'm a prisoner, so anything I say will just be ignored as lies."

"Not so, Master Raven," said Oogway. The tortoise walked into the cell, taking Karasu's face into his hand and looking into the bird's eyes. "Your past is full of pain and misery, isn't it? There was a reason you attracted the company you keep."

The raven didn't look Oogway in the eyes. "Shen was the first person in a while that made me feel like I had a family again. Fenghuang as well." Karasu turned to the tortoise. "Fenghuang has changed since she left the Jade Palace. She told us what happened to her, about that cage that you have her in over there. I have to ask: how could you put so little faith in one of your students and plan for their turn instead of helping them find another path?"

"I had a friend, long ago, that sought out power much as Fenghuang did. He turned down a path that he could never return from, and I vowed to never let that happen again," Oogway said. The Grand Master chuckled a bit. "Just because there are no accidents does not mean that we do not make poor decisions. Perhaps I was a bit pragmatic with my assessment of Fenghuang, and I drove her trust away from me. But the wonderful thing about life is that the past is behind us, and we all have the choice to move on from it."

Oogway walked out of the cell, stopping short of Shen's. "You are Master Raven's key to finding his place in the world. Tell me, what does he see in the Prince of Gongmen?"

"Did he say Prince?" Monkey whispered.

"I think so," Viper whispered back. "I know that the peacock's rule Gongmen, but I never thought that we would have known one of then, much less they be a Master."

"Karasu was the first person to bring light back into my life," Shen said. "He agreed to be my companion, and together we have forged a bond that no one has been able to break." The prince smiled a bit. "I believe that Fenghuang has brought us closer together in that matter. He teachings have helped him to achieve his mastery of the sword, and taught me to appreciate the smaller things in life, lest they fall away like flames on the breeze."

"I see," Oogway said. Turning to the cage, the tortoise did a strange pattern on the front, the spots he touched glowing with Chi until the cage opened, with Fenghuang falling out of it onto the floor.

"Thank the Gods, I could barely breathe in there," the owl gasped. She then looked up at Oogway, distain on her face. "So, what are you going to do now? Send me Chor-Gom? We both know that they are in disarray after Tai Lung escaped, so either you're going to keep me here or kill me." Fenghuang looked away when Oogway didn't respond. "If that's how it is, then fine. Just let my students go. That is all I ask of you."

Oogway said nothing, instead turning to pick up Karasu's sword from Shifu, whom was holding the weapons of the raven and peacock. With an unusual swiftness, Oogway turned around and plunged the blade straight into Fenghuang's heart, to everyone's surprise and shock.

"NO!" Shen and Karasu yelled together. Burning with rage, the peacock melted his chains off with his fire ability while the raven broke free of his cuffs, this whole time having messed with the locks behind his back. The two of them ran out of their cells, catching the owl as she held her chest in shock.

"Fenghuang? I'm sorry," Karasu said. "This was my blade that did this, and I promised- "

"Don't," Fenghuang gasped out, "don't blame yourself. I knew that my end would come sooner or later."

Tears welling up in his eyes, Shen held Fenghuang close. "I… I don't want you to go," the peacock whispered. "I… we both… we- "

"I know," the owl said, finally succumbing to her wound as she held both of their wings close. "Just remember me and move on with your lives." She let out a sigh as her eyes closed for a final time.

Everyone stared as the two warriors cried for their fallen master, both of them feeling the pain of losing someone close to them. Shen, however, felt something new inside of him, something he only saw in his vision so long ago. _Hatred._

"How COULD YOU!?" the prince screamed, his Chi flaring around him in a raging inferno. "She was family to me and you took her from me!" Holding out a wing, Shen manifested a Guan Dao, though this one bore a resemblance to his original, with the blade looking like flames. "You took my Master, so how about I return the favor?" the peacock said in a tone colder than a winter breeze in the artic, pointing his Chi Dao at Oogway.

"Shen, wait! Look," Karasu said.

Turning back to his partner, the fire around him died as Shen saw Fenghuang's wound heal rapidly, the owl letting out a gasp as she sat up.

"What… just happened?" she asked, spinning her head around to look at everyone.

"The Masamune Blade… it only harms those that truly deserve it, those of vile and evil intent," Karasu said, a smile forming on his face. "Which means that you do have good inside of you."

"Did you know this would happen?" Shen asked, turning to Oogway.

"I knew there was something special about Master Raven's sword," the tortoise said with a coy smile. "But not in what way."

Shen didn't believe that, due to Oogway's smile, but turned back to his master and helped her up. "I'm glad you're okay," he said, pulling her into a hug with Karasu joining them.

"Alright, my students, that is enough," Fenghuang said, pushing them away with a slight blush on her face. Recomposing herself, the owl folded her wings behind her back and turned to Oogway. "So, what will you do with me now, Grandmaster?" she asked.

"I believe that it would be best to let you back here at the Palace," the tortoise said.

"What?" Shifu said in disbelief. "But master, there must have been a mistake. That sword must be biased towards those Master Raven cares about."

"As I always say, there are no accidents," Oogway said. "Especially when it comes to magic artifacts." The tortoise turned to Fenghuang. "Now then, you were training Master Crane in Chi, correct? Then I believe that the other Furious Five would be advantageous of learning Chi as well."

"Yes, Grand Master," Fenghuang said. She eyed Shifu cheekily. "Hear that, big ears? We'll be sharing students."

 **[***]**

The next day, Fenghuang wasted no time integrating herself back into the palace life, taking over training after Shifu, the Five, and Po came back from dealing with Gorilla Bandits in the Wudang Mountains.

"While I must commend you on your recent victory, you mustn't let it get to your head," the owl said, each of the Five standing in front of her in the courtyard. "While Shifu trains the Dragon Warrior, _I_ will be training you in art of Chi. Which reminds me- Crane?"

"Yes?" the avian replied.

"Seeing as you've already unlocked your potential for Chi, you may take the day off," the owl said. "Perhaps it may be in your best interest to patrol the valley in case one of Tai Lung's brutes decides to attack."

Nodding, Crane flew off to do this that.

"Is she allowed to do that?" Mantis asked.

"She is the teacher, unfortunately," Tigress said. "So what she says goes."

Fenghuang dashed up to Tigress' face, the owl master eyeing her. "I heard that, tiger. If you want to question my authority, then go cry to your master, or face _me_." Flying to the other side of the yard, Fenghuang entered her fighting stance. "You have a passion for training and fighting, correct? Then having a duel between the strongest masters from both generations of the Furious Five should unlock your Chi."

Tigress scoffed. "Fine then," she said, entering her own fighting stance.

Not wanting to waste any time, Fenghuang began by rushing Tigress, striking towards her and aiming for the opponent's joints. Tigress countered by dodging and blocking before striking forward with a palm strike. The owl saw this coming, however, and caught the palm with a fist, using her free wing to strike Tigress' arm.

"You have strength, I'll admit," Fenghuang said. "But I sense something lurking within you. Do you get a rise out of fighting?"

"I don't have to answer to a traitor like you," Tigress said, moving forward to attack.

Fenghuang dodged the move, continuing to do so with little effort until she decided she had enough and caught Tigress' strike again.

" _Now_ I see why you fight with your all," the owl said with a smirk. "You do this to get attention, don't you? You think by being the strongest you can get recognition from Shifu, but all you get is his pitiful excuse for praise as a student instead of as his daughter."

"Don't act you know me," Tigress growled. "You don't know anything about me."

"Oh, but I think I do," Fenghuang said. "Your greatest flaw is that you let your rage dictate your actions, which makes you easy prey for someone like me. In fact, look down, would you?"

Confused, Tigress looked down to see her feet had been frozen to the ground, though since she had to look away from her opponent to do so, Fenghuang sent the tiger flying with a Chi-infused uppercut.

"Tch, not even a bit difficult," Fenghuang said. "Viper, you know healing, yes? Take care of the tiger; I want to train with the boys next."

Monkey and Mantis collectively gulped at that; this was not going to be a pleasant experience.

 **[***]**

By the time dinner rolled around, the Five were exhausted from Fenghuang's training. While none of them had really mastered Chi, it was determined that Mantis had Earth Chi and could strengthen his strikes to hit harder, while Viper had Wood Chi which allowed her to summon vines to use as ribbons and had the added effect of letting her heal minor mounds. Luckily for everyone, Po had made them some of his father's noodles, which everyone happily enjoyed.

"This is really good!" Mantis exclaimed.

"No, c'mon," Po said, a faint blush on his face. "You should try my dad's secret ingredient soup. He actually... _knows_ the secret ingredient."

"What are you talking about? This is amazing," Viper said.

"Even though we've had this before, I would be inclined to agree," Shen said, lightly sipping the broth of the soup, Karasu nodding in agreement.

"Wow, you're a really good cook," Crane said.

"I wish my mouth was bigger," Mantis said, greedily eating the noodles.

"Maybe you could unlock your Chi through cooking," Karasu said jokingly.

"Tigress, you've got to try this," Monkey said.

The tiger didn't say anything, avoiding the noodles and instead eating the tofu side-dish. "It is said that the Dragon Warrior can survive for months at a time on nothing but the dew of a single gingko leaf and the energy of the universe," she said.

No one said anything, just letting her slightly harsh statement sink in.

 **"** I guess my body doesn't know it's the Dragon Warrior yet," Po said. "I'm gonna need a lot more than dew. And, uh, universe juice." The panda then picked up his own bowl and took a hearty sip from it. When he lowered the bowl, some of the noodles were stuck to his face, which caused Mantis to snicker.

 **"** What?" the panda asked.

 **"** Oh, nothing... Master Shifu!" Mantis said.

Everyone laughed at that (except Tigress). Realizing what he looked like, Po picked up a pair of chopsticks and used it as a make-shift staff while adopting a gruff face.

"You will never be the Dragon Warrior, unless you lose five hundred pounds and brush your teeth!" the panda said, imitating the red panda's voice and demeanor.

Everyone else laughed, but again Tigress remained silent.

Po continued. "What is that noise you're making? Laughter? I never heard of it! Work hard, Panda. And maybe, someday..." Po picked up two empty bowls and held them on top of his head, "you will have ears like mine!"

Everyone cracked up at that, until they saw Shifu and Fenghuang enter, with the red panda in particular holding Oogway's staff.

Confused that the laughter stopped, Po stared at everyone, his back to the two Masters. "Ears. It's not working for you? I thought they were pretty good," the panda said in his normal voice.

"It's Shifu," whispered Monkey.

"Of course it's Shifu. What do you think I'm doing?" Po said.

Karasu pointed behind Po, where Shifu was fuming and Fenghuang had a face that could only be described as both amused and annoyed at the situation.

Taking the hint, Po turned around to face the other way "Ooh! Master Shifu! Master Fenghuang! I..." Po ate his noodle moustache and put his arms down, the bows getting stuck to his chest. Everyone laughed again (and again, Tigress said nothing).

"You think this is funny?! Tai Lung is on his way and you're acting like children!" Shifu berated

"What?" Po said.

"He is coming for the Dragon Scroll, and you are the only one who can stop him," Fenghuang said calmly.

The statement sinks in, with the bowls clattering to the floor as Po gives a weak laugh. "And here I am saying you got no sense of humor. I'm gonna... stop Tai Lung..." Everyone stares at the panda, dead serious about the statement. "What, you're _serious_? And I have to... uh... Master Oogway will stop him! He did it before, he'll do it again," Po said.

"Oogway cannot!" Shifu shouted. He looked down at the staff. "Not anymore."

Everyone realizes the meaning of that, and soon they all look saddened by the thought of the Creator of Kung Fu passing on. Even Shen and Karasu, whom only knew the master from these past few weeks, were saddened; he had given them the chance to become masters and let them bring Fenghuang back to the Palace. They wouldn't be where they are now without him.

"Our only hope... is the Dragon Warrior," Fenghuang said. _"Probably,"_ she muttered under her breath.

"The _panda_?" Tigress said incredulously.

"Yes, the _panda_!" Shifu insisted.

Having enough of this, Tigress stood up from her chair. "Master, _please_! Let us stop Tai Lung, this is what you've trained us for!"

" _No_! It is not _your_ destiny to defeat Tai Lung. It is _his_!" Shifu said, pointing to empty air where Po used to be. "Where'd he go?"

With Shifu running off to go find the panda, Fenghuang took charge. "I know that these times with Oogway will be tough, but the best we can do is respect his wishes and let the Dragon Warrior defeat Tai Lung," she said, giving a pointed look at Tigress. "All of us must simply support his endeavor and make sure that he's ready for it."

After the owl left, Shen decided to take a stand. "What is your problem, Master Tigress?" the peacock said.

"My _problem_ , Prince of Gongmen, is that we were all trained for this day, and then some… _outsiders_ come into our Palace and make a mockery of us and everything that Kung Fu stands for," Tigress said.

Shen glared at her. "You think that just because you've been training your entire life that you're entitled to a destiny that was never yours to have." The peacock then got dangerously close to Tigress' face. "And you know who else demanded to be handed a destiny that wasn't theirs? _Tai Lung._ "

Everyone was silent, a collective gasp being heard as Shen compared Tigress to their enemy.

"You dare- " Tigress said.

"That's enough," Karasu said, getting between the two. "We don't need to be burning bridges at this moment. We need to stay together in these dark times."

"Stay out of this," Tigress growled, pushing the raven away. Karasu put a hand on his sword. "Ever since you two got here, all you've done is try to tear us apart. Don't think I don't know what you were doing with Crane."

"Tigress, they're our friends," Crane said. "Shen, maybe you should retract your statement."

"I don't think I have anything left to say," the peacock said, taking his leave.

Soon, everyone else left as well, though Tigress stayed behind. "He thinks that I'm like that monster? I'll show him," she said. "By tomorrow, Tai Lung will be brought to justice by me. Not by the false Dragon Warrior or those two disgraces, but by me."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Well, this has to be the deepest this story has gotten, what with a death fake-out and the actual death.**

 **I hope that I'm not being too hard on Tigress, but admit it: in the first movie she kind of deserved to get knocked down a few pegs by how she treats Po. At least the other Furious Five members try and accept him, she's just cold to him until she gets her ass kicked by Tai Lung and Po defeats him later on. There's also the fact that Tigress is in the bottom two of my favorite Furious Five members, though that's mostly due to her taking a lot of time in the later movies away from the rest of the Five that could have been used. I mean, you get Jackie freaking Chan to voice one of your characters and you barely use him. What the Heck? I hope we get a Furious Five spin-off movie to develop them more in the future.**

 **Shen's line is a paraphrase from an old fanfic I read back when the second movie was coming out (like, the fic was written back in 2012) which had scenes from the first movie but with Shen in the place of Po due to amnesia and little bit of AU-ness. I kind of agree with this point, especially when looking at the first movie in a vacuum. Tigress wants to impress Shifu and wants to be the Dragon Warrior, just like Tai Lung. The only difference is that their training went in opposite directions; Tai Lung got all the praise while Tigress got none.**

 **This is leading somewhere though, with this Tigress arc coming to a close next chapter as they go to face Tai Lung.**


	14. Season 1 Episode 12 (Finale part 1)

**AN: We're coming to the end of season one, and the final battle with Tai Lung draws closer. Oogway has passed on, Tigress has gone off to face Tai Lung alone, and Po is trying to run from his destiny. Luckily, our heroes are gaining new abilities and have many more allies to depend on. Let three-part finale, "A Battle of Dragons", begins now!**

* * *

The next morning, the Palace was in disarray. While Po and Shifu were off training the panda to be the Dragon Warrior, the Furious Five had vanished, leaving only the trio of birds behind.

"This is bad," Karasu said, pacing the great hall. "With Oogway gone, it'll be a matter of time before Tai Lung arrives her to claim the Dragon Scroll." The raven chuckled a bit, before straightening up. "Shen, you should stay here and protect the Palace until Fenghuang and I get back with the Five."

"Why should I stay?" Shen asked, crossing his wings.

"Because it was you who egged Tigress on to go fight Tai Lung, and I don't want her to become even more enraged," the raven said.

The peacock didn't say anything, but turned away as to not face his friend.

"Let us go," Fenghuang said, heading towards the palace doors.

As the two left, Karasu turned back to Shen. "I want you to know that I don't blame you for what you said, but sometimes it's better to let people come to their own conclusions than telling it to their face." With that, he flew out of the palace in pursuit of the owl.

 **[***]**

At the Thread of Hope, a long, winding rope bridge that connected between two towering peaks, Tigress arrived to meet Tai Lung on the other side. The two cats stared each other down, before Tai Lung roared and ran across the bridge on all fours. Not wasting any time, Tigress used her claws to slice through the ropes holding up the bridge. She wasn't fast enough, though, as Tai Lung leaped at her and pushed back some ways away, cutting the bridge himself to give neither of them a means of escape.

"Where's the Dragon Warrior?" Tai Lung asked.

"How do you know you're not looking at her?" Tigress questioned, folding her arms.

Tai Lung laughed. "You think I'm a fool? You're not the Dragon Warrior." The snow leopard slowly approached the tiger. "I heard how he fell out of the sky on a ball of fire... that he's a warrior unlike anything the world has ever seen."

"He is but a shame to Kung Fu and a mistake," Tigress said. "Oogway should have never chosen Po. It was supposed to be me."

"So that is his name... _Po_ ," Tai Lung said. "Finally, a worthy opponent. Our battle will be _legendary_!"

With a growl, Tigress lunged at the leopard, who simply caught her punch and twisted it, throwing her to the ground. Tigress got up and tried again, this time having a bit more success, but Tai Lung kept pushing her back with counter-strikes and hits. Eventually, the leopard had enough and pushed Tigress back with a strange purple energy that seemed to hold her down in pain.

"Surprised?" Tai Lung said, holding her head up to face him, "the Dragon Warrior was not the only one I heard about. There had been… rumors of a duo of Chi users running around China, and I prepared accordingly. This is my own Chi, one that puts an opponent's own strength against them. The more you struggle, the more it will hurt you. Unless, of course, you turn against the Jade Palace and submit to me."

"Tigress!" Crane called, him and the other Five arriving to help.

"Guys, stay back," she said. "Tai Lung has some sort of binding Chi."

"Oh. You shouldn't have said that," Tai Lung said. "Now my plan to defeat you all is foiled."

Suddenly, a chunk of earth came up and blocked Tai Lung from Tigress. "Don't hurt our friend!" Mantis shouted, taking a stance next to his teammate.

"That's right," Monkey said, standing with Mantis. "As the Furious Five, we have to stand together."

"We're more than a team," Viper said, "we're a family."

Crane nodded as they stood next to their teammate.

"Guys," Tigress said simply, looking at all of them in surprise.

"Oh, how sweet," Tai Lung said, "you all see yourself as family. But family makes you weak, gives you false hope and breaks you."

"You're wrong," Crane said. "We're stronger together, which is something you'll never have!"

Growling feral, Tai Lung attacked the group as they defended Tigress. Crane and Viper used their Chi to try and disable the leopard, with crane throwing water balls at the cat's face while Viper created vines to tie him down. Not slowing down with his attacks, Monkey and Mantis attacked next, with Mantis going in for quick strikes while Monkey used his staff to keep Tai Lung at a distance. Again, their attack did nothing but enrage the leopard as he knocked them all back with his Binding Chi.

"Enough of this," he yelled. "You are nothing but petty replacements that Shifu made in place of me. None of you mean anything to him."

Before the villain could say anything else, a bolt of lightning followed by a cold wind happened around them. In-between the two groups stood Karasu and Fenghuang, with lightning crackling from his blade and ice forming around her feet, respectively.

"Hello, Tai Lung," said Fenghuang.

"Ah, the strongest of the true Furious Five," the snow leopard said. "Have you come to join my army?"

Fenghuang chuckled darkly. "Oh, you wish that was the case," she said. "But considering that you're tormenting my students, that makes you my enemy." Forming knives made out of ice, she turned to the raven. "Karasu, get the Five free. I'll take care of this disgrace."

 **[***]**

Meanwhile, back at the Valley of Peace, Shen was meditating and reflecting on everything until he heard a noise behind him. Quickly, he stood up and held a knife to the person's throat.

"Woah," said the person, backing up and taking out her Bo Staff. "Didn't mean to startle you, Shen."

Turning around, the peacock noticed that it was Mei Ling. "Oh, it's you," Shen said, putting away the knife. "What brings you here?"

"I'm here to meet Crane," Mei Ling explained. "Is he here?"

"Currently, Karasu and Fenghuang are out getting him and the Five back before Tai Lung kills them," the peacock said.

"What?" the golden cat said in surprise.

"They'll be fine," Shen said. He then turned to her. "While we're waiting, we should protect the Jade Palace. I sense darkness coming, so be on- "

But he was cut off when the two were suddenly pushed back by an unseen force. As the peacock and golden cat readied their weapons, three leopards appeared in front of them. The eldest one stood in the middle, with the two on the sides holding a Wind and Fire wheel, one each.

 **[AN: a Wind and Fire wheel is a large circular weapon with spikes on the end. For reference, it's what Axel uses in "Kingdom Hearts"]**

"It seems we have opponents," the one on the left said.

"Which means we get to fight," said the one on the right.

"Patience, sisters," said the one in the middle. "I don't believe that we've met these warriors."

"The Wu Sisters," Shen spat. "Fenghuang said that you'd be working for Tai Lung."

"Good. Then our sides have been chosen," said the eldest sister.

Not wasting any more time, the Wu Sisters came in for an attack, striking with speed and synchronization. Shen and Mei Ling stayed close to each other, using their weapons to defend from the relentless strikes of their foes.

"Mei Ling, do you have any skills that you've learned since we last met?" Shen asked, pushing back another attack and sending flames forward to fend off the sisters for a bit.

"Well, I decided to take a page out of your book and try my hand in Chi," Mei Ling said. "Unfortunately, I can't use it yet."

"Enough of your talking," one of the Sisters said. "Let us finish this with our signature attack."

After she said that, the three leopards pulled back and each took a hold of the Wind and Fire wheels, quickly spinning around at blinding speeds and charging at the two heroes.

"Mei Ling, it might be best to reach into that Chi," Shen said, building up fire around himself.

Before he could do anything, however, Po and Shifu came out of nowhere and jumped into the middle of the spinning sisters, with Po grabbing one of them and Shifu nerve-striking another. As the Wu Sisters' attack came to an abrupt halt, the eldest sister ran off as her younger siblings were subdued by the heroes.

"Do not worry, my sisters. Tai Lung and I will be back to get you and the Dragon Scroll," the eldest said, running off to find Tai Lung.

"Shen! Are you okay?" Po asked, running over to the peacock.

"I'm fine, Po," Shen said.

"It was foolish of you to face the Wu Sisters alone," Shifu said. "But I commend you for holding them off as long as you did." The red panda turned to Mei Ling. "and who are you, Miss…?"

"Mei Ling, Master Shifu," the golden cat said, giving a bow. "I come from the Lee Da Academy. I was friends with Master Crane and came to visit him."

"Well, the Five are currently not here," Shifu said. "But you are welcome to stay here when they get back."

"I believe that's them now," Shen said, pointing to some figures in the distance.

Coming in for a landing were Karasu, Fenghuang, and Crane, each of them carrying Viper and Mantis, Tigress, and Monkey, respectively. They all collapsed on the ground as the Five were still feeling the effects of Tai Lung's Binding Chi.

"They're dead?!" Po said in horror. "No, they're breathing! They're asleep?! No, their eyes are open..."

Crane let's out a gasp as he weakly says, "We were no match... for his Chi attack."

"He has gotten stronger," Fenghuang said, brushing off her clothes. "I held him off while Karasu got the others out of there, and even then, he didn't seem to break a sweat."

"Who? Tai Lung? _Stronger_?" Po said with some fear in his voice.

"His mastery of a new form of Chi is… unnatural," Karasu stated. He then glared at Tigress. "There was a reason Shifu said to let the Dragon Warrior take care of it."

Tigress looked down, ashamed of her actions. "I thought I could stop him..." she said in an unusually soft voice.

"He could have killed you," Shifu chided.

"Why didn't he?" Mantis questioned.

"Most likely so we could come back here and strike fear in our hearts," Fenghuang said.

"But it won't work!" Shifu said.

"Uh, it might... I mean, a little," Po said. "I'm pretty scared."

"You can defeat him, panda!" Shifu said.

"Are you kidding?" Po said. "If they can't..." he gestured the Five, Karasu and Fenghuang. "They're seven Masters, and one of them has a ton of years of experience. I'm just one _me_."

"Granted, _I_ could have beat him," Fenghuang boasted, "but it was more important to get these young ones to safety first."

"But you will have the one thing that no one else does," Shifu said.

Po's eyes widened as he realized what his master meant: The Dragon Scroll.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Okay, we're here at the finale, and it's started with two fights. I'm sorry if neither seem very exciting, but I'm still working on writing fight scenes.**

 **If anyone wants to, it would be cool to see the Fenghuang vs Tai Lung fight. Be creative and give this probably epic battle a scene!**

 **Tai Lung has found some new kind of Chi. I wonder where he got it...**

 **And hey, Mei Ling is here!**

 **Next time: the Dragon Scroll will be unveiled and everyone will have one last night before the final fight with Tai Lung. Pasts will be explained, reunions will be had, and Oogway's last words to Fenghuang will be revealed.**


	15. Season 1 Episode 13 (Finale part 2)

**AN: The three-part finale "A Battle of Dragons" continues now.**

* * *

Inside of the Jade Palace, all of the masters were gathered near the reflecting pool, with Shifu holding Oogway's staff as he approached the pool. The red panda bows his head then, eyes closed, raises the staff over his head, whirling it around as peach blossom petals rise in a flickering, spinning cloud up from the pool. The petals rise up to where the Dragon Scroll rests, the petals loosening the scroll from the dragon's mouth causing it to fall. At the last second, Shifu reaches out with the staff to catch the scroll on the end of it. He then turned to Po, holding it out.

"Behold. The Dragon Scroll... It is yours," Shifu said.

Po reached out for the scroll, but then pulled his hand back. "Wait... what happens when I read it?" the panda asked.

"No one knows, but legend says you will be able to hear a butterfly's wing-beat," Shifu said.

"Whoa! _Really_? That's cool," Po said amazed.

"Yes, and see light in the deepest cave. You will feel the universe in motion around you," Fenghuang added.

Po then started bouncing in anticipation. "Wow! Can I punch through walls? Can I do a quadruple back flip? Will I have invisibility- "

"Focus... focus," Shifu said.

"Huh? Oh, yeah... yeah," Po said, calming down.

"Read it, Po, and fulfill your destiny," Shen commanded. "Read it and become... the Dragon Warrior!"

"Whooaa!" Po exclaimed. He took the scroll and tried to pull the top off. Unfortunately, it didn't budge, which made Shen give Karasu a pointed look as the raven had screwed it back on real tight when he put it back.

"It's impossible to open," Po grunted, straining to open it. "Come on baby. Come on now..."

Shifu then held out his paw, which Po put the scroll into. The red panda popped the top off; it turned out to be a pull-off top, not a twist-off. He then handed it back to Po.

"Thank you," the panda said. "I probably loosened it up for you though... Okay, here goes."

Po started to unravel the scroll, a golden light shining on his face as everyone looked at him with a smile of anticipation on their faces. Po lets out a scream, but then his face gives off a mortified look.

"It's blank!" Po said.

" _What!?_ " Everyone exclaimed in surprise, except for Karasu, whom just starts to giggle a bit.

"Here! Look!" Po says, holding it up for everyone to see. He was right; despite the shine of the paper, nothing was written it. Now everyone was mortified.

" _Blank_?" Fenghuang questioned.

"I don't...I don't understand," Shifu said, shaking his head.

Po stood there, before saying, "Okay. So, like, Oogway... was just a crazy old turtle after all?"

"No. Oogway was wiser than us all," Shifu replied.

"Oh, come on!" Po exclaimed. "Face it. He picked me by accident. Of course I'm not the Dragon Warrior. Who am I kidding?" The panda just sat on the floor in disappointment.

It was then that everyone noticed that Karasu was rolling on the floor, holding his sides as he laughed.

"Is this funny to you!?" Tigress growled. "The prophecy is nothing, and you want to _laugh_ about it!?"

"It's not that," Karasu said, wiping his tears away and getting up from the floor. "It's just that Oogway was a genius for putting the Dragon Scroll in such a prominent role." Everyone just stared at the raven as he continued. "Think about it. By putting the scroll here, he's convinced Tai Lung that he needs it to be the Dragon Warrior. But that's not how title's work: a master of a higher status has to give it to you, and Oogway _gave_ you the Dragon Warrior title Po."

Shen looked to his friend and smiled. "I get it. We're at the advantage. As long as we keep Tai Lung away from the scroll, _we_ can keep him on the run, making him predictable."

"When I held him off, I froze him in a block of ice," Fenghuang said, preening her wings. "We have a day to prepare for him to get here before one of his followers frees him and they gets here." She then turned to Shifu. "You know what we must do."

Nodding, the red panda turned to the Five. "Evacuate the Valley. We must protect the villagers from Tai Lung's rage."

"Karasu, Shen, Mei Ling. We must make sure the Five are prepared to fight. Tai Lung will be bringing his followers, so making sure everyone is ready to use their Chi is crucial," Fenghuang said.

Everyone nodded and went to do their task, leaving Po to sulk on the floor as Shifu contemplated what to do next.

 **[***]**

That night, Karasu sat in the courtyard, his sword in his lap with only a lantern set in front of him. He wanted to be alone before the fated battle between Po and Tai Lung, wanting to reflect on his past. Holding his sword, he let the fire of the lantern dance over the blade as what seemed to be an apparition appeared in front of him.

"It has been a long time," said the spirit, taking the form of an owl.

"Brother," Karasu said. "I'm sorry that we have not talked in a long time, Remon. But much has happened."

"I know… we know," Remon said. "But we think that it is time for you to come back to us. Your time is short, and if you don't leave China, pain will be brought upon those you love."

"So you want me to end my own life?" Karasu said.

"It is the honorable thing for a disgraced ninja to do," Remon said.

"It is the coward's way out!" Karasu yelled. "Besides, I left the ways of your leadership when I slaughtered our entire opposing clan in cold blood, just for revenge." The raven wiped a tear from his eye as he continued, "I couldn't live with that, so I left on a quest of redemption, just so that I could learn to kill for the right reasons; to only do so for the good of others and not myself. But I can't leave my past with you haunting me."

"Then what will you do?" Remon asked.

Karasu didn't say anything, instead pulling out a trinket from underneath his kimono: a necklace with the symbol of an eagle on it.

"Woah, bad idea," Remon said, though he couldn't do anything about it being a ghost.

"If I want to make a better future, then I need to let go of the last part of my past," Karasu said. "I'm sorry, 'brother,' but you were never my true family. You let my mother into your clan to protect her, but now I realize that my destiny isn't tied to my so-called 'obligations' of your clan, but instead to the promise I made my mother."

With that, Karasu threw the necklace down and brought his sword to it, causing a massive flash of lightning. As Remon's ghost faded from existence, his connection to the mortal world severed, another spirit took his place, this one a female raven in a lavish pink kimono.

"Mother," the warrior said.

"Karasu," the ghost, called Hikari in life, said. "My son, I am glad to see that you have accepted that who you are isn't a member of the Ninja Bird Clan, but as the Dragon of Yang and my son. Though my time is short let me give you something to remember me by."

Pulling her son close, Hikari gave her son a kiss on the head and dissipated into light, leaving in his hands his sword, though now the dragon mark on it was glowing with energy and light.

"Karasu, are you okay?" Crane called, coming out of the Palace with Mei Ling. "We saw a flash of light and wanted to make sure that you're okay."

"I'm fine," the raven said, wiping the tears that freely flowed from his eyes. "I just had to find myself before this fight." He sheathed his sword and turned to them. "So, how are you two doing?"

"We're fine," Crane said. He then blushed a bit. "Actually, despite the whole impending doom coming, I'm glad that Mei Ling is here."

"I'm glad to be here too," the golden cat said. "It's been so long since we last met, and I'm happy that we can catch up."

"Maybe you can stay here after all of this is done," Karasu suggested. "I mean, you still have to learn your Chi ability, correct?"

Mei Ling turned away a bit. "I do, but it doesn't make sense," she said. "I've trained in all the ways Fenghuang said I should, and even expanded my Chi pool, but I can't manifest it as anything."

"Hmm," Karasu pondered. "Sometimes it takes an act of passion to kick-start your Chi. Mine manifested after accepting my mother's death, and even Crane here found his by pushing past his fears."

"But what could do that for me?" Mei Ling asked.

It was at that moment that Shen came out holding a big bowl of soup, which partially obscured his line-of-sight.

"Karasu, Po made us a big bowl of soup that I thought we could share out here," the peacock said, accidentally bumping Crane and causing his beak to connect with Mei Ling's mouth. "Ops, sorry about that," Shen said, setting the pot down.

"I don't think they mind," Karasu said, watching as the crane and golden cat made out in front of them. While Crane was surprised and tried to pull away, he eventually gave in and held Mei Ling close. When the two finally parted, they were panting for breath as Karasu just grinned like a maniac. "So, you two enjoy yourselves?" the raven said in a teasing voice.

"Oh, back off," Mei Ling said, throwing he paw forward in a dismissive wave. To everyone's surprise, a gust of wind formed and pushed the raven back a bit.

"Huh, so an act of passion can activate your Chi?" Crane said. "So does that mean-?"

"Yes," Mei Ling said. "I've thought about it through all of the time we've been apart, and I want to be more than just partners in combat, but also in love."

The two held each other close, smiling and blushing, until Karasu spoke up. "So, are you gonna make out again?" the raven said.

Crane simply sent water his way, splashing Karasu in the face as the two kissed again.

"Let us retire somewhere else to enjoy this soup," Shen suggested. And so, the two birds picked up the pot to find a place more peaceful eat at.

 **[***]**

As morning broke the next day, Fenghuang and Shifu stood on the Palace steps, watching as the others evacuated the Valley.

"Shifu, I know what you plan to do when Tai Lung comes, and I also know that I cannot stop you," Fenghuang said. "However, I believe that you need to know what Oogway said to me before he… past on."

* * *

 _Flashback_

 _"Fenghuang, I need to talk to you," Oogway said, calling to the owl. The time was soon after she had been allowed to stay at the Jade Palace. The two were standing near the peach tree of wisdom._

 _"Yes, Grand Master?" Fenghuang replied, standing next to the tortoise._

 _"I know that you sense what is to come," he said, "and that I have not told anyone yet."_

 _" …you're going to die," she said simply._

 _"Yes. Unfortunately, my time has come, and there is much that you and the others must accomplish on your own," Oogway said. "However, that is not why I called you here. Did you ever wonder why I made that cage for you?"_

 _"It was because you feared my power, that I would sub come to the darkness," Fenghuang said. The owl turned away, "which you were… right about. It was only due to Shen and Karasu that I came back into the light."_

 _"Perhaps," Oogway said, "but the true reason I made that cage was that I could not bear to lose someone close to me again. After all these years, it still pains me that I had to banish my own brother and that there was nothing I could do to save his soul. It may have been brash, but I thought that by holding you that I could talk reason into you."_

 _"But why?" Fenghuang asked. "Why not just talk to me?"_

 _"Because we both were at fault with one of the greatest obstacles we all must face: pride," the tortoise. "You with your power, and myself in my judgement. Though, no I believe that with what little time I have left that I can admit something to you that not even Shifu knows."_

* * *

 _Present_

"What was it?" Shifu asked as the owl concluded her story.

"He…He saw us as his family," Fenghuang said, "and he did everything for use because of his love for us."

Neither of them said anything, just staring out into the rising sun.

"Shifu," the owl said. "We are the masters of the Jade Palace now, which means that we must carry on Oogway's legacy. I don't know if we'll ever reach his level, but I do know that the chance he gave us we must give to our students." She smiled, "and I think for you that starts by accepting a certain Tigress."

With that, Fenghuang flew off, leaving the red panda to contemplate her words.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **This is it, the last chapter before the fated battle against Tai Lung. Who will fight whom, and what plots will be resolved and which will be answered later?**

 **For those that wonder when Karasu opened the Dragon Scroll, it was back in chapter 8.**

 **The two ghosts that Karasu talked to names translate to this:**

 **-Remon is Japanese for "Lemon"**

 **-Hikari is Japanese for "Light"**

 **I hope you liked the insight into Karasu's past. If there's anything else you want to know, I'll put it in a future chapter. There is much more to the ninja raven that we have yet to learn.**

 **And Mei Ling is a Wind elemental! And yes, the kiss as totally necessary. Crane/ Mei Ling is my favorite ship in this fandom, so I wanted to start it as soon as possible. They're just so cute together!**

 **And Fenghuang has told the words that Oogway told her: that her, Shifu, and the other students of his were like family to him. Hopefully Shifu can take that mindset to heart with Tigress in the future.**


	16. Season 1 Episode 14 (Finale part 3)

**AN: and now for the conclusion to "A Battle of Dragons"**

* * *

"All of the villagers have been evacuated," Tigress said, gathering with the other warriors in the center of town. "Now the only thing we have to worry about is Tai Lung."

"Say his name and he appears," Karasu said, drawing his sword as the snow leopard in question arrived along with his generals.

"So, the Furious Failures and their friends stand in our way," Tai Lung said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "I don't have time to deal with you; I have a destiny to fulfill. I'll let my associates here take care of you."

With that, the leopard ran off as his five generals blocked everyone from following.

"Looks like we have a fight on our hands," Fenghuang said. She smiled, "alright then, let's split up. There's nine of us and five of them."

"Ten," Karasu corrected," I sent a letter out to one of our allies to come help us. He should be here soon."

"Will you please stop talking," the Great Gorilla said, "we're here to crush you, not have a social outing."

"Right," the owl said, "Shen, you and Tigress take on the Wu Sister. Karasu, you and Crane handle the Vulture Leader. Mei Ling and Viper can handle the Great Gorilla, while Monkey and I take on the Blackhoof Boar Clansman."

As everyone took off to face their adversary, Mantis was left to deal with Lidong.

"Guys, what about me? Where's my partner?" the insect yelled at his teammates. He turned to face the massive crocodile, Lidong chuckling darkly as he cracked his knuckles. "Oh nuts," was all Mantis could say as he ran for cover.

 **[***]**

"This is for my father!" the Blackhoof Boar Clansman yelled, charging at the two masters. The pig swung his giant sword around, making the heroes duck and dodge to avoid being shredded. Fenghuang used a few knives to hit the boar from a distance, with Monkey using his staff to do the same.

"Monkey, now would be a good time to have a lesson in Chi," Fenghuang said, slinging some ice at their opponent to slow him down.

"Really, right now? Monkey questioned, swiftly dodging the sword as it was swung at him.

"Stand still so I can slice you!" the Boar yelled, coming down with a massive swing. He missed, causing his sword to become stuck in the ground.

"Your Chi is Metal as we determined, remember?" the owl stated. "Use your skills to bring it out and show this pig who's boss."

Monkey nodded, running up to the boar and kicking him away, picking up the sword for himself. The master spun it around a bit, taunting the Clansman as he did a few tricks.

"Hey! Give that back!" the boar squealed, running at Monkey.

The primate dodged every punch, flipping and laughing at his opponent's attempts to stop him. Eventually, Monkey threw the sword some ways away, causing the boar to run after it. Using the distracting, the Master of Money Style held out his hands and pulled the sword back towards him with his Chi power. While the sword didn't kill the boar, it did slice off his belt, causing the villain's pants to fall off. The boar squealed in embarrassment, running off to hide his shame, onto to bump into Fenghuang whom knocked him out with a palm strike to the face.

"Good job, Master Monkey," the owl said, freezing the boar in place.

"I figured that if pranking people is what I'm good at, I could use my powers for that," the monkey said.

"Good. Now then, let's go face Tai Lung," the owl said, flying off towards the Palace.

 **[***]**

In another part of the Valley, Viper and Mei Ling were fighting against the Great Gorilla.

"So, you're Crane's friend from his academy day?" Viper asked, slithering around the gorilla as he swung his massive arms at her.

"Yep. We trained together until he went to become part of the Furious Five," Mei Ling replied, using her staff to hit their foe from a distance.

Viper went in for the attack, using her Wood Chi to summon vines and wrap Great Gorilla's arms and tie him to the ground.

"Ugh! Get these off of me!" the gorilla shouted, pulling at the vines to free himself. "I will not be defeated by a puny snake again!"

"Again?" Viper questioned, "wait a minute, you're that jerk that I defeated all those years ago!" The snake glared at the enemy, her Chi flaring as the nearby plants seemed to bend towards her.

"Viper! We need to focus," Mei Ling said, "if you let your anger get the better of you, you won't be able to fight properly."

Viper took a death breath, calming down as she stared at their enemy. "Alright. Let's do this together," she said.

The two warriors shared a nod as they came together, Viper wrapping herself around Mei Ling's staff as the golden cat jumped over Great Gorilla, using her Wind Chi to knock the villain over and using her staff as a launcher to get Viper onto their adversary. Using her Constrictor Control Technique, Viper wrapped vines around the gorilla's arms, making him punch himself silly. As Great Gorilla was on the edge of unconsciousness, Mei Ling walked up to his face and gently poked it, causing the villain to fall backwards in defeat.

"Great job," Mei Ling said, watching as Viper used her Chi to hold the gorilla down with tree roots. "Now, how about we make sure that Shifu doesn't get killed by Tai Lung?"

"Right!" Viper nodded.

The two ran back towards the Jade Palace with Mei Ling picking up Viper and using her Chi to make long jumps up the steps.

 **[***]**

The two avian warriors, Karasu and Crane, were fighting the Vulture Leader. The raven wanted to end this fight quickly, so he went straight for his Chi attack.

"Lightning Strike!" Karasu yelled, swinging his sword at the vulture. In response, the carrion eater put up a strange shield, absorbing the lightning. "What was that?" the raven asked himself.

"Like that?" Vulture said. "You're not the only one with Chi now. The Wu Sisters gave me the power to absorb energy, and when it builds up…" The shield pulsed as an explosion went off, throwing the two warriors back as the area around them was set ablaze by the explosion. "Ha-ha-ha! It explodes! If you try to attack me, your precious town village will be burned to the ground!"

"This is not good," Crane said, using his Water Chi to put out nearby flames, "we can't hit this guy."

"Not with Chi we can't," Karasu said. The raven sheathed his sword and pulled out his bow. "I'll cover you with my arrows. You get in close."

Nodding, Crane rushed the vulture and grabbed him with his talons, taking to the sky as the two birds engaged in a duel. Using his skills, Crane swooped and dived at the vulture, whom was no match for the master in terms of physical strength. Karasu kept the pressure up with his arrows, skillfully avoiding his ally until he hit his mark in the wing, forcing the vulture to the ground.

"You little-!" The vulture said, clutching his injured wing as Karasu and Crane stood together.

"Give up, you're no match for the two of us," Karasu said, putting his bow away.

"Never! Tai Lung promised me all of the treasures of the Jade Palace, and I won't let you two take that from me!" The Vulture Leader, in a desperate move, jumped into the fire, using his Shield Chi to absorb the flames. His power grew as the shield glowed even brighter. "I'll take you and this whole damn city down if it's the last thing I do!"

"We need to stop this guy, NOW!" Crane yelled.

"His shield can absorb energy, but every shield has a limit," Karasu said, "if we can combine our powers, then we may be able to overload the shield."

"Okay, let's try that," Crane said.

The two concentrated on their Chi, the sky darkening as thunder boomed and rain started to pour. Their wings moving in sync, the two avians copied each other's movements. With their power building, they shouted in unison, "STORM STRIKE ATTACK!", making the storm they summoned condense into a single, gigantic bolt of lightning, striking the shield and defusing it.

The rain got rid of the remaining fire as the storm faded, the Vulture Leader falling to the ground as his Chi was completely drained. Karasu held out his sword, taking the excess Chi in the area into it.

"He's down for the count," Karasu said, "and I just did my first combo attack! I mean, Shen and I have teamed up before, but never have we combined our powers together like that!"

"Let's focus on the battle ahead, then we can celebrate our victory," Crane said, adjusting his hat.

"You're right," Karasu said, "let's go, back to the Palace."

 **[***]**

Meanwhile, Mantis was playing keep away with Lidong, jumping around the croc's body as he tried to find a weak point.

" _This guy is like a rock, I can't find a pressure point to hit,"_ Mantis thought to himself.

"Gah-ha-ha!" laughed Lidong. "My hide is so think that you'll never be able to pierce it!"

"Says you!" Mantis shouted. "Chi powers, go!" Tapping into his potential, Mantis put his Chi into his strikes, making a mark on the croc's scales but still not weakening the enemy. "Darn it! Nothing works on this guy!" the insect wined.

It was that moment of weakness that Lidong needed to strike, slamming mantis between his hands and tossing the bug away. Before Mantis could go splat, however, another scaled pair of hands caught him.

"Need some help?" Fung said, looking down at the bug as he put him on his shoulder.

"I could have handled him," Mantis said, "and who the heck are you? I don't need to deal with another croc."

"I'm Fung, one of Shen and Karasu's friends," Fung explained, "Karasu sent me a letter to come help you guys out, so here I am." He then turned to Lidong. "I thought you got dropped a waterfall by the Dagon Warrior, but you look fine to me."

"The Wu Sisters saved me, as they did in the past," Lidong said. "What's with that face? Surprised? You think that a runt like me could suddenly get a growth spurt that massive within a day? No, The Wu Sisters gave me the power to be the strongest in our group. As long as I remain undefeated, my strength and size will continue to grow until I can face even Tai Lung with no effort." The croc held out his hand. "Join me, cousin. We can take over China together!"

"I'm going to stop you there," Fung said, "I never wanted to rule, only to get respect. Shen and Karasu helped me to realize that we wouldn't get that by being bandits, so we joined the Imperial Golden Croc Army. But then the Queen joined Tai Lung, and I don't want to be associated with the bad guys anymore. I want to start over and be a good guy for once. And that starts by defeating you."

Taking a battle stance, Fung started to do a series of complex moves, ending with him slamming his foot on the ground. "I picked up a bit of Chi so take THIS!" Fung yelled, thrusting a fist forward. What should have been a rushing Earth attack came out instead as a single, slow-moving rock that floated towards Lidong. The larger croc simply caught the boulder and crushed it between his hands.

Mantis gave Fung an unimpressed look. "Really?" the insect said.

Fung, disappointed that his training was for nothing, threw his helmet on the ground. "Darn it!" he yelled.

His anger was disrupted by Lidong attacking the duo, both of them jumping out of the way was the spot they were standing in became a crater in the ground. Thinking fast, Mantis tried to use his Chi again, this time making a few good-sized boulders float up from the ground.

"Fung! Use these!" Mantis called, hitting the rocks to his allies.

Fung looked over to his partner and hit the rocks coming at him with his tail, knocking them at Lidong and right into his face.

"Agh!" Lidong cried, clutching his face in pain.

Mantis and Fung took advantage of the momentary weakness to unleash their attacks at Lidong, from basic strikes to Fung's axes to more rocks. The two didn't let up, making sure that Lidong didn't recover as they slowly wore him down.

"Hey Fung! Let's try and end this!" Mantis said.

"Right!" Fung replied.

The two of them used their collective Earth powers to summon multiple boulders around them. "EARTH BARRAGE!" They shouted, launching the rocks at Lidong and doing massive damage, even managing to make the large croc bleed a bit and fall to the ground.

"Ugh… you… You think that you have me beat?" Lidong said, struggling to stand, "I am Lidong, the strongest warrior in all of-!"

But he didn't get to say anything as Fung came in for an uppercut, knocking Lidong out. As the larger croc fell, the magic that the Wu Sisters gave him faded, shrinking him down to a runt and leaving an amulet with a crocodile skull carved into it resting on his chest.

Fung picked up the amulet, inspecting it. "Huh, this must have been what kept Lidong so large," Fung mused, "what do you think, Mantis?" The croc turned to his bug companion, only to see that Mantis had run off to join the others up at the Jade Palace. "Oh, come on!" Fung wined, not happy about being left behind.

 **[***]**

The final of our teams, Shen and Tigress, were up in the Palace courtyard, where the Wu Sister was waiting for them.

"So, it will be you that I face," Wu said, holding her Fire and Wind Wheels. "Fine then, you're too late to save your Master, and your friends will suffer the same fate."

"I have more faith in them that you," Shen said, "they will triumph over you fiends."

Wu didn't respond, instead going in for the attack. Shen blocked her weapons with his Dao, setting it on fire to ward the leopard off. Wu jumped back, throwing the wheels for a ranged attack, which Tigress and Shen dodged quickly. Tigress grabbed one of them right out of the air and threw it out of the palace grounds, with Shen barely dodging the other.

"Those were a gift from our mother," Wu said.

"Too bad," Tigress said, "you'll have to do better than that to hit me."

"Then how about I do an attack that you can't dodge," the leopard said. Holding her hands out, she rapidly spun the remaining wheel, the weapon soon becoming coated in flames as she threw it at Tigress.

Tigress dodged the weapon, only for it to turn around and come at her again.

"She used her magic to make it follow Tigress," Shen realized. The peacock tried to use his Dao to hit the wheel away, only for the flames to singe his tail feathers as it went by. "How? My Chi makes me invulnerable to fire," Shen said confused.

"It's not normal fire, it's Soul Fire," Wu said, rushing Shen to meet him in combat, "it hurts those that I wish to harm, which includes all of you."

As the two clashed talons to claw, Tigress kept avoiding the weapon, even as Po and Tai Lung came out of the Palace in a blur. Trying to get away, she ran inside the Palace, where she hid behind one of the pillars, causing the wheel to get lodged in it. Free from the enchanted weapon, Tigress noticed Shifu lying on the ground.

"Master!" she said, running over to pick him up off the floor.

"I'm fine, Tigress," Shifu said, "I just need to rest. Tai Lung took a lot out of me."

"Tigress!" Shen called. The peacock ran inside as the Wu Sister came inside, her hands burning with Soul Fire. "We need to end this soon."

"Yes, indeed we do," Wu said. Holding out a hand, she summoned her weapon back to her, determined to have it run Tigress through on the way back. Shifu saw it coming, though, and jumped in the way to deflect the attack. The world seemed to go in slow motion as multiple things happened at once: Shifu fell to the floor with a gash in his stomach, Tigress and Shen looked on in horror, and the rest of the heroes arrived at the palace.

"SHIFU!" Everyone exclaimed, with Tigress holding him.

"Master…" she said.

"Tigress," Shifu said, clutching his wound, "I know this looks bad, but we can get through this. I never told you this, but I was always proud of you, I just feared that I would make the same mistake as I did with Tai Lung." He coughed a bit. "Instead I just pushed you away, which was just as worse. Whatever happens next, I just want you to know that you _always_ made me proud, my daughter."

As the red panda fell in unconsciousness, Tigress put her adopted dad down and faced the Wu Sister. "You hurt my master… No. You hurt my _father_ ," she said, a glow starting to form around her. To everyone's shock, Tigress' form was lit up with a brilliant white fire. "In the name of Kung Fu and the Jade Palace, I will strike you down!"

With speed that had been unseen by her before, Tigress charged the Wu Sister with a savage palm strike, burning the leopard with multiple hits and attacks.

"What is that?" Karasu asked, rushing over to Shen.

"Tigress has unlocked her potential, her Chi," the peacock said, "I realize now why she was the last to find it. She had so much mentally holding her back that she needed a major shock not find her Chi."

"And it's one of the most powerful that I've seen," Fenghuang said, "one of the mystic elements, similar to your Aether, Karasu: Sacred Fire."

Wu stood no chance as Tigress easily used her new power to defeat the leopard. As her opponent laid defeated, her Chi aura faded, Tigress falling to her knees in exhaustion from using her newfound Chi so much.

"That's the last of Tai Lung's generals," Fenghuang said. "Now we must clean up the aftermath." Picking up Shifu, she used her Ice Chi to cool the wound on his stomach. "Viper, Mantis, help to heal Shifu's wound. Shen and Karasu, go down to the village to help Po. The rest of you, go gather up the other defeated generals and bring them to the dungeon."

 **[***]**

As Shen and Karasu arrived down in the Valley, they found Po on the ground covered in Tai Lung's Binding Chi and the leopard holding the Dragon Scroll.

"Finally… oh yes... the power of the Dragon Scroll... is... MINE!" Tai Lung shouted, opening the scroll. His face of triumph turned to confusion, then to anger when he saw the black surface. "It's NOTHING!" the leopard roared.

"Talk about a letdown!" Karasu shouted, laughing a bit.

Amazingly, Po fought his way through the Binding Chi to stand up. "It's okay. I didn't get it the first time either," the panda said.

"What?" Tai Lung said in confusion.

"There is no secret ingredient," Po said, "It's just you."

Tai Lung roared, throwing down the scroll and charging Po, only for Shen to knock the leopard aside.

"Hello, panda," the peacock said, "hope you don't mind having some assistance in fulfilling your destiny."

"Not at all," the panda said with a smile, "it's more fun to kick bad guy butt with friends."

"Then we'll do this together," Karasu said, pulling out his sword as it glowed with power.

Tai Lung recovered from Shen's hit, rushing Po with his Binding Chi again. However, instead of its intended effects, the panda's stomach just jiggles a bit. Confused, the leopard hit Po again…and again…and again, each time having the same effect.

In fact, the only effect seemed to be making Po laugh. "Stop! Stop it! I'm gonna pee! Don't! Don't!" he laughed.

Frustrated, Tai Lung punched Po with both fists, only for the hit to ripple up the panda and have Po hit the leopard back.

"Nice counter," Karasu said, "but now it's my turn." Taking out his bow, he concentrated as he loaded five arrows into the bow, all of them charging up with Chi. "DRAGON VOLLEY!" he shouted, releasing his string as each arrow became a mini Chi Dragon, homing in on Tai Lung as he recovered from being thrown back.

"Is that a new move?" Po asked excitedly.

"Kind of," Karasu said, "I figured that if I could summon a Chi Dragon with my sword, then I could do it with my other weapons as well. As an upside, it uses only a fraction of the Chi as my sword attack does."

"My turn," Shen said. Charging his Dao, he actually summoned a _second_ Guan Dao, this one made of pure fire, and rushed Tai Lung, throwing the hapless leopard into the air. "RISING PHOENIX STRIKE!" the peacock shouted, his fire turning into a phoenix and striking Tai Lung back down into the ground.

"Enough of this!" the leopard shouted, aiming for Po again.

It was futile, though, as Po used his newfound unorthodox Panda Kung Fu Style, using his body in various ways to redirect attacks and throw his weight around. He even managed to get Tai Lung to bite his own tail! After hip checking him, Po prepared for Tai Lung to attack him again, meeting the leopard with a belly bump into the sky, with all three of the heroes watching as he went up and fell down to the ground.

Tai Lung wasn't done yet, crawling out of the crater and weakly saying, "You... can't defeat me... you... you're just a big... fat... _panda_!" With a final lunge, the leopard went to strike Po, only to be caught in a certain hold that had everyone surprised.

"The Wuxi Finger Hold!" Shen and Karasu said in unison with Tai Lung.

"Oh, you know this hold?" Po said, calling back to what Shifu told him on his first day.

"You're bluffing... _you're bluffing_!" tai Lung said in fear, "Shifu didn't teach you that!"

"Nope," Po said, "I figured it out."

"Po, wait," Karasu said. Walking up to the two of them, the raven held up his sword to Tai Lung and swung, cutting into the leopard's back as his Chi was taken. "Now that your power is in my sword, no one will be able to have it again." His gaze hardened. "NOW!"

"Skadoosh!" Po said, lifting his pinky as a wave golden dust flowed out from the attack. The dust went out over the entire valley, with everyone seeing it, from the villagers to the Furious Five.

When the dust settled and the villagers returned, everyone looked as Po walked out of the smoke, with Shen and Karasu simply standing behind him in the distance.

"Look! It's the Dragon Warrior!" one of the villagers shouted.

Soon everyone was cheering at Po's victory, even Karasu and Shen gave a clap of approval for the panda.

"That's my boy! That big, lovely Kung Fu warrior is my son! Mr. Ping said, tears in his eyes from how proud he was of his son.

"Thanks, Dad," Po said, giving his father a hug.

As the two released from embrace, Shen and Karasu walked up to Po, both of them soon being joined by the Five, Fung, and Mei Ling.

"Hey guys," Po said.

Tigress stepped forward, giving a bow to the panda. "Master," she said.

The others follow suit, bowing and saying "Master" to Po.

"Master?" Po said, modest but a bit pleased. Then he remembered something. "Master Shifu!"

Everyone made their way back up to the Jade Palace, where Fenghuang was tending to Shifu's wounds in the main hall.

"Master! Shifu! Shifu! Are you okay?" Po said, running to the red panda's side.

Shifu opened his eyes at the panda's voice. "Po... you're alive..." He said weakly. "Or we're all dead."

"No, Master, I didn't die. I defeated Tai Lung!" Po said.

"You did?" Shifu said in astonishment, Fenghuang giving a look of surprise as well.

"Wow... It is as Oogway... foretold," Shifu said, "You _are_... the Dragon Warrior. You have brought peace... to this Valley... and... and to me. Thank you... thank you, Po... thank you... thank you... thank…" but he didn't finish as he closed his eyes, with everyone becoming visibly worried.

"No... Master! No, no, no! Don't die, Shifu, please..." Po pleaded.

"I'm not dying, you idio... ah... Dragon Warrior," Shifu said, getting up quickly before lying back down from the pain of the sudden motion. He then closed his eyes again. "I'm simply... at peace. _Finally_ …"

'He should be fine after a week of rest," Fenghuang reassured everyone. "We were lucky that the weapon didn't cut any deeper into him."

"Oh... So, um, I should... stop talking?" Po asked.

"If you can," Shifu said.

Everyone relaxed, sitting down and enjoying a nice peaceful moment in a long and stressful day.

That is, until Po spoke again. "You want me to get you something to eat?"

Shifu opened his eyes, sighed, and simply replied with, "Yeah."

* * *

 **(Cue "My Hero Academia Opening - The Day [English Dub Cover]" by NateWantsToBattle)**

The logo "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang" appears again, in a clash of fire and lightning.

 _ **You see the sunrise, a new day is upon you**_

Shen is standing with the sun rising behind him.

 _ **You bite your nails and your knees start to tremble**_

Karasu stands with the moon rising behind him.

 _ **The time is upon you to show them what you can do**_

Both of them stand facing each other as the sun and moon cross into an eclipse.

 _ **And soon they will know that the Day, has come!**_

Weapons drawn, they charge each other as the guitar kicks in, with scenes from the season playing of various fight scenes, including: Shen vs Tigress, Crane vs Karasu, The warriors vs the Croc Bandits, and Shen and Karasu vs the Crocodile Queen.

 _ **Late into the night I hear it storming**_

 _ **And into the rain is what I pray and I'm hoping**_

Karasu and Shen stand in the pouring rain, both of them soaking as lights shine in the distance.

 _ **Now I feel the pressure of the city**_

 _ **Oh, how it eats me whole**_

They both turn to face the Jade Palace, going inside as the light fades and the darkness closes in around them.

 _ **So many names and faces**_

 _ **Sleepless nights spent in unknown places**_

 _ **And every day I walk straight into the great unknown**_

The scene shifts to them running across a field, with images of each of the characters (Fenghuang, Mei Ling, Po, Shifu, Fung, and the Furious Five) panning in the skyline.

 _ **I'm not to blame**_

 _ **I'm gonna take a stand**_

Karasu and Shen stand across from the Furious Five, all of them looking worn from battle as Tai Lung and the generals linger in the background. Karasu and Shen look ready for a fight with their weapons drawn,

 _ **You say my name**_

 _ **I'm telling you to reach out and finally take my hand**_

Po comes to stand with them, holding out his hand to Tigress. She hesitates, before giving a determined look and taking the panda's hand.

 _ **Colliding fists they're what's gonna make you**_

Tigress and Shen are seen using their fire against the Wu Sisters.

 _ **You grit your teeth or they're gonna break you**_

Mantis and Fung use their earth to topple Lidong.

 _ **The time is upon you to show them what you can do**_

Karasu and Crane create a storm to take down the Vulture Leader.

 _ **You're breaking the mold to show you're not them**_

Po is seen in his battle with Tai Lung, going above everyone's expectations and taking the leopard down.

 _ **Will we break through? I don't know, don't know**_

Mei Ling and Viper use their powers to defeat the Great Gorilla.

 _ **The bells are ringing come out and play now**_

Fenghuang and Monkey mess with the Blackhoof Boar Clan as they take him down.

 _ **The time is upon you to show them what you can do**_

 _ **And soon they will know that the Day, has come!**_

Shen and Karasu come together, Chi flaring into a phoenix and dragon, respectively, as they sent their Chi Spirits towards the screen, the logo appearing one final time before fading to black.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Finally! It's been a longtime, but Season One is done!**

 **I wonder if anyone if anyone will find the reference to a certain "Last Airbender" movie…**

 **Also, to anyone who's wondered what Karasu's voice would sound like, my pick for voice actor is Ryan Potter, the voice of Hiro from "Big Hero 6".**

 **Anyway, this season was fun to right. This story has given me so many new connections and people that I can consider friends. Season Two won't be for a while, but there will be some in-between chapters to fill in the in-universe year between the first and second seasons.**

 **I hope to see all of you back when "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang" continues...**

* * *

Karasu and Shen were sitting in Mr. Ping's noodle shop, calmly eating noodles. Fenghuang was there to, watching as Mei Ling and Fung were in an arm wrestling contest (with Mei Ling winning). As they sit there, Karasu gets up and faces them.

"Guys, I think that I have a name for our group," he said, "how about… the Tao Go?"

 **[AN: "Go" is Japanese for the number Five and Tao references Taoism, the philosophy that Ying and Yang are a part of]**

"I think it sounds nice," Mei Ling said.

"It has a nice ring to it," Shen commented.

"It rolls off the tongue, that's for sure," Fung said.

Fenghuang just nodded in approval.

"Good! Now, if you will excuse me," the raven said, "I have a particular meal a friend made me once that I want to try and make. I wonder of Mr. Ping has the ingredients to make a sandwich?"

As he walked off, Fung voiced the one think on everyone's mind at the moment, "What's a sandwich?"


	17. New Legends of Yin and Yang prelude

**AN: Welcome back to "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang"! It's time for our heroes to have a break and get the time to know each other.**

* * *

Previously on "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang"

 _After Oogway passed on to the spirit world, Tigress went to confront Tai Lung alone, only to be saved by Karasu and Fenghuang when she and the Furious Five were defeated. Po obtained the Dragon Scroll, but it was revealed to be blank. Karasu, Shen, Fenghuang, Mei Ling, and Fung teamed up with the Furious Five to defeat the generals, as well as Karasu and Shen helping Po to defeat Tai Lung._

* * *

 _2 weeks after Tai Lung's defeat_

Karasu and Shen where relaxing in the courtyard of the Jade Palace, watching as Fenghuang went through her training with the Furious Five, Mei Ling, and Fung for their Chi.

"While it was impressive what you accomplished during Tai Lung's attack, it was only a fraction of what you can do with Chi," Fenghuang said. "Chi is your very essence and can be used to enhance just about every part of you. Your elemental alignment also gives you certain perks."

"For instance, I can walk through fire and come out completely unharmed," Shen said.

"Master Fenghuang, I have to ask, will I be able to learn Chi?" Po asked. The panda was sitting on the side, not participating the training.

"It's hard to say," the owl admitted, "Karasu has the unique ability to sense Chi in others, yet he cannot get a read on you."

"It's there for sure, but not in a place that I can reach," Karasu said. "Consider yourself lucky. There are some that can't even use Chi. Though that doesn't stop them from being great fighters. In fact…" The raven turned to Fenghuang. "Master, if you will excuse me, I just realized that I have something to do."

"Very well. You are dismissed," the owl said.

 **[***]**

Up at the sacred peach tree, Karasu stood with Master Shifu, his sword held at attention with the red panda's staff.

"So you want to open a portal to another world?" Shifu asked.

"Yes. We both know that Oogway held many secrets and techniques in his scrolls, and Fenghuang showed us a few of them," Karasu said. The raven flinched a bit when Shifu gave him a glare. "I'll get her to return the scrolls, I promise. Anyway, I promised a friend I made during a tournament between worlds that I would help train him. In order to do that, I need to be able to open a portal to his world."

"From what I remember, Oogway said that you need a connection to be able to open a portal to the correct world. Otherwise you'll just end up in one of an endless sea of worlds," Shifu explained.

"Alright then," Karasu said, nodding, "when we fought in the tournament, I cut him with my sword. Seeing as the Masamune Blade absorbs a bit of Chi from those it cuts, it should be able to find his world. Although, considering he couldn't use Chi, it might take a few tries."

Readying his sword, the raven let his Chi flow into the weapon as Shifu concentrated and made the petals around them float with his staff. As the petals swirled around, Karasu made a slash down the middle of the petals, the air within the circle shimmering as a portal was made.

On other side of the portal was a view of the Jade Palace, except instead of the Furious Five, there seemed to be a younger version of Shifu, Fenghuang and other original Furious Five members, along with a young Oogway as the Dragon Warrior.

"Huh, a universe where the young and old switched places," Karasu said. "Neat, but not the right universe."

Making another slash, the portal shimmered and changed, this time showing the Tower of Scared Flames. The city seemed to be at peace, with Shen ruling over as the Lord of the city and Po training under the Kung Fu Council, his original parents watching their son.

Karasu smiled. "Not the right place, but it's nice to see that there are other universes where Shen avoided a dark fate."

Another slash, another universe. This time, the scene on the other side mirrored Karasu's own, with the distinct difference of the other Karasu and Shifu being girls instead of boys.

"Hello, other universe me," the female Karasu said.

"Hello, other me," Karasu waved back.

Both ravens slashed the portal, switching the scene yet again. This time though, the portal fizzled out and closed, knocking Karasu and Shifu back as it did so.

"What happened?" Shifu asked, helping the raven up.

"I'm not sure," Karasu responded, "but something in my sword closed the portal." Picking it up, the raven flinched as a vision of Tai Lung flashed in his mind, as well as another, younger snow leopard, and the imperial city. As he fell to his knees, Shifu went to his side.

"What was that? What did you see?" Shifu asked.

"It was… a vision," Karasu said. He sheathed his sword back at his side. "I believe that I won't be able to open a portal until I can find a successor to give Tai Lung's Chi to. When I absorbed it into my sword, I didn't think it would cause this." The raven turned to Shifu. "I need to get Shen and the others ready for a journey to the imperial city."

 **[***]**

Soon enough, the Tao Go team was ready to leave to the capital city of China.

"Do you really have to leave?" Crane asked Mei Ling.

"We're a team. We have to stick together," the golden cat said, "don't worry, Crane. We'll be back once our mission is complete."

"Come on lover-boy," Fenghuang said, "she can handle herself."

Crane immediately became flustered and backed up a bit, pulling his hat down to cover his red face.

"Lay off the boy," Shen said.

Fenghuang huffed, turning to leave the palace.

"Can you take this for me?" Po asked Karasu. The panda handed the raven a covered pot. "It's my dad's soup. He was hoping that if you were going to the imperial city that you could give it to the Emperor."

"Well I don't think we'll go to the imperial palace, but I'll try," Karasu said, taking the container of soup. "Alright Tao, let's Go!"

With that the group left for the capital, unaware of what they would find there.

 **[***]**

The group walked for days to get to the imperial city, wondering who the successor for Tai Lung's power would be. The only clue they had was that it was a snow leopard, but that's a minute detail in a city with such diversity in species living in it. There was also the issue of Fenghuang and Fung; while the two were on the side of good now, their shady pasts could cause trouble if anyone recognized them.

"Just to be clear, we're only here to find Tai Lung's successor," Karasu said, "don't draw any attention yourselves and be on the lookout for snow leopards."

Entering the imperial city, the group stayed on guard in case anyone recognized them or they found the person they were looking for. Luckily for them, the successor wasn't far, as two snow leopards, a water buffalo, and a goose running from some rhino guards. The four kids ran right into the Tao Go, with all of them being surrounded by the guards.

"Watch where you're going!" Shen said, pushing the snow leopards off of him and onto the ground.

"Be careful with them, Shen," Mei Ling said, holding the goose, "they're just kids."

"Kids being pursued by the imperial guard," Fenghuang said dryly.

"By the order of the Emperor, you are under arrest for kidnapping his grandson and grand-nephew," one of the guards said.

"We didn't kidnap them," the male snow leopard said.

"Yeah, they came to us, and you jerks chased us around the city," the female leopard said.

Karasu noticed that his sword was glowing. "Guys, I think that one of these two is the successor. Regardless of their worth, we need to protect them."

Fenghuang took a stance and kicked one of the guards a fair distance away. "I never cared for being on the emperor's good side anyway," the owl said, proceeding to easily take out two more guards.

Fung got in on the action as well, grabbing one of the guard's weapons and using it to swing the guard into the others. Mei Ling, while still holding the goose, used her Wind powers to push the guards away and right into Karasu, whom used his speed to dart around and hit the pressure points on the guards, dropping them. Shen focused on getting the kids away from the conflict, using the confusing atmosphere of the fight to sneak away with them.

After dropping all of the guards, the Tao Go retreated to a more secluded area to assess the situation.

"Thanks for getting us away from those guys," the water buffalo said, "my grandfather's advisor never lets me out of the palace and sent those guards to bring me back."

"So you are the emperor's grandson," Shen said. "Well then, it's nice to meet another member of a royal family."

"Wait, you're _the_ Lord Shen of Gongmen?" the goose asked. "That's so cool! I heard that you went a journey of discovery and now you're a super-skilled Kung Fu master!" The boy shook Shen's wing rapidly, surprising the peacock with his abundance of energy. "I'm Zan, and this is my cousin Lu Kang. The other two are Peng and Lian."

"It's nice to meet you," Peng said, bowing to the others. Lian did the same, though she didn't speak.

"So I'm guessing that when the guards were sent out to find Lu Kang and Zan, they thought that you had kidnapped them," Mei Ling said, "but really, you were just their friends hanging out with them."

"Yep. Lian and I have been living off the streets selling pottery and ran into Lu Kang during one of the city's festivals," Peng said. He then noticed that Karasu was looking at him, holding the hilt of his sword. "Hey, why are you looking at me like that?"

Karasu didn't respond, instead unsheathing his sword and holding it out to Peng, the aura around the blade taking the form of a Spirit Leopard as it circled Peng.

"Okay, what is that?" Lian asked, taking a step toward her friend before flinching as the Spirit growled at her.

"It's the remnants of Tai Lung's Chi, which I kept for safe keeping in my sword," Karasu said.

Peng reacted visibly to that. "Tai Lung?" the snow leopard said, immediately becoming hostile. "He was my uncle. You're saying that you killed him?"

Shen blocked the young leopard from attacking his friend. "Listen here, young one. I don't know what you thought about your uncle, but he was consumed by anger and a threat to a lot of innocent people. Remember how various criminals across China became more active a few weeks ago? That was because of him."

"I don't believe you," Peng said.

"Look, I get that he's related to you," Karasu said, "but what we're saying is the truth. If you want to know the truth, then touch the Chi Spirit and look into his memories."

Peng backed off, but was still angry. As he went to touch the Spirit, Lian stepped forward.

"If he gets hurt…" Lian warned.

"He'll be fine," Fenghuang said. "I can tell by your voice that you care about him, much in the way that I care about these two," the owl said, gesturing to Shen and Karasu. "I promise that Peng will be fine."

Peng watched as the Spirit Leopard sat down in front of him. Reaching out a hand, the boy touched the Spirit on the head. Instantly, a purple aura surrounded Peng, causing him to scream in pain as his eyes glowed white. Falling to his knees, Lian ran up to her friend, only to be almost hit by his strike.

 ** _"I will get my revenge on you, raven and peacock,"_** Peng said in a voice not his own, **_"You confined me to a life without a body. But now, with this new, younger body, I will take my revenge on you and everyone else that wronged me!"_**

"He's been possessed by Tai Lung!" Mei Ling said. "Zan, Lu Kang, we need to get you to safety. Fung, help me get these two someplace safe."

"Peng!" Lian shouted. "I know you're in there! You need to fight him, this isn't you!"

 ** _"My nephew is strong in body but weak in mind, he cannot hear you,"_** Tai Lung said.

"We need to get Tai Lung's Chi out of him," Karasu said. "Unfortunately, I don't know if I can do so without taking Peng's Chi as well."

"Well think of something," Fenghuang said. The owl rushed forward and used her Ice powers to freeze Peng in place, though not enough to injure the boy. "I can hold him for as long as possible, but we can't leave him like this.

"Peng…" Lian said. The snow leopardess went up to her possessed friend's face. "I know that you don't want this. Listen to my voice and _fight him!"_

Peng struggled against the ice, but Lian's words caused him to groan as his eyes turned to normal. "Lian, I'm sorry," the boy said, "I'm not strong enough to fight off Tai Lung's influence. He's right, I'm weak."

"He's wrong and you know that. You know why?" Lian said, "because we have each other, and true strength comes from those we care about."

Peng groaned as Tai Lung took control, breaking out of the ice and pushing everyone back from the sheer force. **_"Pathetic. You think that friendship will save him?"_** Tai Lung scoffed.

"Well, it worked when we beat you the first time," Karasu said.

Tai Lung roared and lunged, only to be stopped by Lian pinning him to the ground.

"Use your sword and get rid of Tai Lung!" she said, struggling to contain her possessed friend.

"But if I do, he might lose his Chi forever," Karasu said.

"Peng doesn't need Chi to be strong, he just needs his friends," Lian said.

Karasu nodded solemnly, and raised his sword to strike Peng. Bringing the blade down, Lian stayed still as the blade passed through both of the snow leopards. Tai Lung gave a scream as his spirit was banished from Peng's body, the aura fading and the boy groaning as he regained control of his body.

"Lian?" Peng said, looking as the wounds on both of them healed from Karasu's attack.

"Peng!" the snow leopardess shouted, hugging her friend tightly as he blushed but returned the gesture.

"I'm surprised that Peng was unharmed," Shen said.

"The Masamune blade can tell if someone his possessed. I won't hurt a person unless the body and mind are in sync," Karasu said. "In other words, the sword will simply banish the spirit instead of harming the host." He turned to Peng. "I'm sorry that I've robbed you of any potential you had for Chi."

"It's fine," Peng said, "in fact, I feel better knowing that I have closure on my uncle. I wish that I could have done something to quell his rage, though."

"If it makes you feel any better, there are some worlds out there where he isn't consumed by his rage, or at least returns to the side of good," Karasu said. The raven then noticed something off in the air. "Strange. I can still sense Chi in you, though it seems split somehow."

"Let me see," Fenghuang said. Taking Peng's paw into her wing, she felt it until she came to a conclusion. "Hmm, very interesting," the owl mused. "It seems that due to Karasu's sword hitting both you and Lian, instead of Tai Lung's Chi going back into the sword, it instead changed and became split between you two."

"But what does it mean?" Shen asked.

"It means that I believe that we have some new students on our hands," she said, turning to both Peng and Lian. "How would you two like to come train at the Jade Palace with us?"

 **[***]**

After regrouping with Mei Ling, Fung, and the Imperial kids, it was decided that Peng and Lian would come to the Jade Palace to learn about this mysterious power that they held.

"Do you really have to leave?" Zan asked, hugging Lian.

The leopardess smiled sadly. "I'm sorry Zan, but we need to figure out what happened to us," Lian said, patting the goose on the head. "I promise that we'll visit as soon as possible, okay?"

"It's a promise!" Zan cheered.

"Little one, take this," Shen said, handing the goose one of his throwing knives. "This was forged from the fines metals of the Royal Peacock Family. Take it as a sign of peace between our royal lineages, from one bird to another."

"Awesome!" Zan shouted, holding the knife and pretending to use it as a sword.

"Is it really a good idea to give a four-year-old a weapon?" Karasu asked his companion.

"I feel that the emperor's advisor might have… ulterior motives for sending those guards out to find them," the peacock explained. "I'm just giving him a means to defend himself if the situation arises."

Karasu nodded, knowing about corruption in royalty due to his time as a ninja in his homeland, then went over to Lu Kang. "If you're the grandson of the emperor, then I want you to have this," he said, giving the canister of soup to the water buffalo. "It's some of the fines soup from our village. I trust that you will enjoy it."

Taking a sip, Lu Kang's eyes widened as he tasted it. "This is amazing!" he said, "thank you very much, and complements to the chef as well."

"I'll make sure to tell him that," the buffalo said with a smile.

With a final wave goodbye, Tao Go and their two new students left back to the Valley of Peace.

 **[***]**

When they arrived back at the Palace, the group was surprised to find a portal was opened in the courtyard, with Po, Shifu, and the Furious Five standing in front of it a good distance away.

"A portal opened? How?" Karasu asked.

"Po was messing with Oogway's staff and managed to open it by accident," Tigress said, giving the panda a pointed look.

"I said I was sorry," Po said.

"In any case, we can't see who or what is on the other side," Shifu said. The red panda them noticed the two new faces. "Who are these two?"

"This is Peng and Lian, the successors to Tai Lung's power," Fenghuang explained. "Peng is actually the nephew of Tai Lung, apparently."

Everyone looked at him in shock, with Lian taking a stand in front of her friend.

"He's not like his uncle," she said defensively.

"It's not that," Viper said, "it's just that we're surprised that tai Lung had any living relatives. He was an orphan after all."

"Let's get back to the portal problem," Karasu said. Taking up his sword, the raven held it out to the portal, the rift in time and space reacting to it as five figures came out of the portal, with one of them tackling Karasu to the ground. The raven looked to see that it was an abnormally large beetle that was on top of him.

"Koji?" the raven said surprised.

"Karasu!" the beetle said. He held out a fist, which the raven met with his own in a fist bump.

"Guys, this is Koji, the friend I was trying to open a portal to," Karasu said, "and the others are his teammates known as the New Legend."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Welcome to the next part of "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang"! It's not season 2, but it will tie into the future of the series and develop relationships and skills of the characters.**

 **I know that Peng and Lian don't meet until later, but I wanted them together as their story arc ties them together. Lu Kang and Zan also made an appearance, with Shen sensing something sinister in the Emperor's court.**

 **We also found out about the multiverse and the consequences of taking someone's Chi: it holds their spirit and can possess someone with a weak will.**

 **Finally, next time is the start of a crossover between "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang" and "The New Legend Reboot" by Alex the Owl!**


	18. New Legends of Yin and Yang 1

The Jade Palace was a bit more… crowded than usual. While it held the usual Master Shifu, Po, and Furious Five, it now held Tao Go, their new students Peng and Lian, as well as the New Legend team from their respective universe. As the head master of the palace, Shifu sent everyone (with the exception of Peng and Lian) down to the village so he could figure out where everyone would be staying. In the meantime, the group went to Mr. Ping's Noodle Shop for some food.

"So, how about we get some introductions going?" Karasu asked the New Legend, "for the sake of the others."

"I'm Koji," said the beetle of the group.

In terms of species, he most closely resembled a Rhinoceros Beetle, with an arrow-shaped horn on his head, a dark blue exoskeleton and yellow eyes. His hands and feet were white, with three fingers and two toes, and he was wearing a purple pair of trousers, which matched his purple face paint, along with weighted training bracelets.

"I'm from a tribe that descended from the Samoans. We spent our time dancing and partying, but I wanted to become a great warrior instead of living the easy life. When I met the others, we fought off a giant gorilla and were chosen to be trained by Master Yoshi. Eventually, we got to train with our world's version of the Furious Five at the Jade Palace."

The next person to speak was an owl with snow white feathers and black speckles, making her a snowy owl. Her body had a good figure, which could be seen as alluring along with her yellow eyes. Her clothing wasn't helping that case, consisting of just a black top and shorts, which showed off her stomach. Fenghuang also noticed that the other owl wasn't wearing bandages, judging by her chest area.

"I'm Suya, and my goal is to become a great warrior to earn the greatest possession of my village, the Pearl of Hope," Suya said. She giggled a bit, hugging up next to Koji, whom went red in the face. "Me and my friends are always looking for mew challenges."

Fenghuang smirked a bit; she could see that Koji had some attraction to Suya. Shen and Karasu just sighed; did every owl they meet have to be subtly flirty?

"Um, I'd like to go next," said the hedgehog.

He had brown fur with a white underbelly and turquoise eyes, with his entire back covered in needles. Due to this, he could only wear a yellow pair of trousers, along with a yellow bandana on his arm.

"I'm Neyo, the brains of the group," Neyo said. "I like to study ancient texts, books, anything really. I also don't have many skills in terms of fighting, though I do have the elemental Chi of Wind. It's brains over brawn for me."

"Give yourself some credit, Neyo. We're a team," said the black panther.

She (naturally) had black fur with yellow eyes and a pink nose. Her clothes were similar to Tigress' attire, with red pants and vest, along with a purple belt and a pair of sandals.

"I'm Alena, that is all," Alena said. Clearly, she wasn't the talking type.

The final member of New Legend was currently preoccupied with an eating contest against Po. He was a snow leopard and the most physically fit of the team in terms of muscle. His attire consisted of yellow pants with a black belt, black fingerless gloves and sandals. An unusual feature was that he had a tuft of fur that stuck up between his ears.

"Oh, is it my turn?" the snow leopard said, talking with his mouth full. Gulping down the last of his noodles, he wiped his mouth and stated, "I'm Toka, the de facto leader of New Legend. I have Fire Chi and my own unique technique called the Iron Fist." He then looked down. "In our world, snow leopards and most big cats are looked down on due to the actions of Tai Lung."

"That's horrible," Viper said. "The actions of one shouldn't be the baseline of the many."

"Thanks," Toka said, smiling a bit. "Oh, I just remembered. Part of our training is trying to find the 'Phoenix Warrior', which is said to be an equal to the Dragon Warrior."

"Okay, let's get down to why we're here," Karasu said. "You guys came to train with us, correct? So, let's divide you up, a member of New Legend with a member of Tao Go."

"Um, I'd like to sit this out," Fung said, "I still need to figure out my own powers before I'd be comfortable with training someone else."

Karasu nodded. "I understand. Now then, I'll be training Koji, as I promised to train him back during the tournament we were in."

"I'd like to train in the way of the sword," Koji said. Everyone was surprised at that statement.

"Why do you want to learn how to use a sword?" Toka asked his teammate.

The beetle just looked away from his friend. "I have my reasons."

"Alright then," Karasu said. He didn't say anything, but he felt a dark presence around Koji. "Shen, who do you want to train?"

"I'll take Toka under my wing," the peacock said, "If you're looking for a 'Phoenix Warrior', then training with the Phoenix of Yang would be most useful. Plus, I can help you master more advanced skills with Fire Chi."

"Good," Karasu said. He also sensed something in Toka, something very similar to Shen actually. "Mei Ling?"

"I'll be training Neyo," the golden cat said. "I've trained students that have little physical abilities. I can help with that, and maybe we can master the element of Wind together."

Karasu noticed something seemed to be bothering Neyo, but didn't say anything. "So that leaves Fenghuang with the girls."

"Oh, this will be fun," Fenghuang said, eyeing the owl and panther with a smile more befitting of her days as a villain.

The two warriors gulped. _'This will be anything but fun,'_ they thought.

 **[***]**

With the groups chosen, Karasu wasted no time to get started with training Koji in the art of the sword. Wanting to get some distance from the others for safety reasons, the raven brought his new student to a place he had found while exploring the palace grounds: a cave where the roof opened up to the sky, allowing light to enter the cavern.

"The first thing you'll need is a sword, so take your pick," Karasu said. He pulled out a chest from the cave and opened it, revealing a bunch of various swords.

"Woah," Koji said, looking at all of the weapons. "Are you sure it's safe for me to start with a real sword? Wouldn't it be better to start with, say, a wooden sword?"

"No, because I don't want to deal with splinters," Karasu said with an annoyed look.

Looking through the chest, Koji pulled out various types of swords, from a European Broadsword to an Egyptian Keopesh to various Katanas. "I don't even know what half of these are," the beetle remarked.

"Hey, I just take weapons as I see them," Karasu replied. "That chest is enchanted to give any kind of sword, so I don't pay that much attention to what's in it."

Pulling out another sword, Koji was surprised to find what looked to be an exact copy of Karasu's, but with a different metal etching on the blade and the handle being wrapped in black.

"Oh, no,no,no,no," Karasu said, quickly snatching the blade from the beetle's grip. "That is a Muramasa blade, the exact opposite of my Masamune blade. It cuts indiscrimietely and leaves wounds on a person's soul that never heals _ever_. Plus, most of these give the wielder an uncontrollable need for bloodshed, so yeah, bad weapon." The raven took the demonic blade and threw it back into the chest, closing the lid and kicking it away. "Here, just use this," Karasu said, giving Koji his sword.

"Oh no, I can't use your sword," Koji said.

"I insist," the raven said. "If you're so worried about hurting someone then use a weapon where that's not a problem." Picking up a standard katana, Karasu stood next to the beetle and took a fighting stance. "Now then, to begin our lesson, follow my moves…"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **And so, training begins for the New Legend team!**

 **Unlike the main story, these chapters will be on the shorter side, as each will focus on a certain pair as they each train to become stronger warriors.**

 **If you want to find out what the New Legend was doing before they came to Karasu's world, go read "New Legend Reboot" by Alex the Owl. You may even find some hints as to where the training will go in the future.**

 **Also, the Muramasa blade is a real thing in Japanese folklore, and is from the same story the Masamune blade comes from. Though both take some creative liberties with how they work, of course.**

 **And Alex, if you're reading this, then don't hesitate to leave criticism so that I can get your characters written correctly!**


	19. New Legends of Yin and Yang 2

**AN: Welcome back. Let the Training begin!**

* * *

As everyone left to go train, Shen stopped Po before he could leave.

"Wait here, Panda," Shen said, "my training with Toka will begin shortly, but there is something I would like to discuss with you first."

"Oh, okay then," Po said, sitting back down next to Toka.

Shen settled back down into his seat, sighing at what he was about to entail. "Now then, you must understand that this happened almost thirty years ago, before you could even walk."

The scene shifted to a flashback as Shen narrated the events as they played out. **(Imagine that it looks like the opening of the Second Movie)**

"I was but a teenager back then, a young prince wanting to do something more than rule his city one day. So, I used my intellect to take my family's greatest invention, the firework, and turn it into something greater."

Taking something out of his robe, Shen showed the two of them a diagram scroll of his invention. "I called it the cannon. It fires balls of metal to decimate those unfortunate to be in its way."

"Wow. That's… intense," Po said.

Toka didn't respond: in his world, events similar to this had already happened in his world.

"Yes, it is as you 'intense'. Anyway, on the day that I was to show my project to my parents, I awoke to a nightmare of my own demise. When I told my parents and our royal soothsayer, they told me that it was a vision of what may happen to the future if I were to follow a dark path from which I would not be able to return."

"What was that path?" Po asked.

"It was that he would be defeated by a warrior of Black and White," Toka answered, surprising Shen.

The peacock peered closely at the snow leopard. "You know of the other world, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Toka replied. "In my world, our Lord Shen was a tyrant bend on using his cannons to conquer China. He was defeated by Po and the Furious Five, being killed by his own cannon."

"How poetically ironic," Shen said in a sardonic tone. "Anyway, while I had avoided that fate, the fallout was one that I could not. The head of the royal guard had heard of the prophecy, and took it upon himself to make sure it never happened. Gathering those most loyal to him, he took them to the panda village where he-" Shen stopped there, the flashback fading as he turned away from Po. "He killed them all. No one was spared, except for one. A baby, less than a year old if that, I saved from the leader. I sent him far away from the Gongmen providence, with only one of my own train feathers as a reminder of where he was from."

"Wait, does that mean…?" Po said, slowly realizing the truth.

"Yes, panda," Shen said, rising to his feet. "It was you I saved that night. I only ask for your forgiveness as I failed to save your village. Do with me as you will."

Po just stood there, with Toka at his side to watch what was about to unfold. The panda made a move at Shen, only to surprise the peacock with a big bear hug. The warrior struggled a bit from Po's grip, not expecting this reaction.

"I understand what you did. It wasn't your fault," Po said, rubbing the peacock's back.

Shen didn't answer, just sputtering at the panda's kindness.

"If it wasn't for you, I would be dead or worse," Po said, "so I thank you for giving me a chance to live." He then paused and dropped Shen from his grip. "What a minute. Doesn't that mean I'm adopted!?"

Toka face-palmed at that. _'Of course that's what Po is worried about,'_ he thought, shaking his head.

 **[***]**

Fenghuang, meanwhile, was quick to start her training with Suya and Alena. It was not, however, what either of the girls would call 'conventional' training.

"Is this really necessary?" Alena asked, shivering slightly. The two were standing on top of a snowy mountain, with Fenghuang standing in front of them. "You could have at least given us some warmer clothes before whisking us away up here." She looked over to Suya. "How are you not shivering? You're only wearing what amounts to undergarments."

"I'm a snowy owl, duh," Suya said, shaking some stray snowflakes off of her beak. "We were made for the cold of the mountains."

Alena grumbled something under her breath.

"If you two are done, then let's get down to business," Fenghuang said. "Now then, the reason we are up here is that it takes a focused mind to find your Chi, so the cool air of the Wu Dan Mountains will make it clear to me. To start, let us focus on nothing but the sound of the wind."

The master sat down in a meditative pose, letting her students follow suit as well. As they all sat in the snow, the air seemed to shift as the area around the three turned into a glowing void.

"Woah, what is this?" Suya said in amazement.

"This is but a small part of the Spirit Realm, where all Chi originates from," Fenghuang explained. "Of course, you cannot enter the Spirit Realm unless you are a spirit, so this is but an illusion of what it looks like. Karasu told me of this place when he and Shen first came to train under me. He knew how to get here, I just made the journey easier with my methods."

"But… why take us here?" Alena asked.

"As an offshoot of the Spirit Realm, it is easier to determine a person's Chi here," Fenghuang stated. She looked over her two students. "Do you have an idea of what your powers are?"

"No, just the fact that we have potential for them," Suya stated.

As Fenghuang looked at the two, she noticed symbols appear over their heads. Above Alena was the shape of the moon glowing brightly, while above Suya was a peach tree with petals falling from it. Nodding to herself, the owl cut off their ties to the Spirit World, sending them all back to the mountaintop.

"I have successfully determined your Chi abilities, as I knew I would," Fenghuang said with a smug tone. "You two have the rest of the day off. I will begin your training early in the morning. Don't be late." With that she flew, off leaving the two on top of the mountain.

"Hey, wait!" Alena shouted in vain. She groaned as she realized that she would have to walk all the way back to the valley on foot. _'This is going to suck,'_ the panther thought to herself.

 **[***]**

Karasu was tired after training Koji for the whole day. While the beetle was enthusiastic about it, he definitely needed work if he was going to master the art of the sword. Sighing, the raven took off his ninja garb (keeping his scarf on for warmth) and sat down on his sleeping mat, ready for sleep. Before he could do so, however, there was a knock at his door.

"It's open," Karasu said.

Opening the door was Fung, whom looked to have something on his mind.

"Hey Karasu, can I ask you something?" the crocodile said. "I was wondering if I really had a place on your team? I mean, I'm not particularly good at fighting as the others, and I can't even use my Chi that well, so why do you keep me around?"

"Fung, I let you be on Tao Go as you have a great heart," the raven said. "You're just like Fenghuang; you were someone with a troubled past that had the capacity for good. We're a team, so we work and build off of each other." He then thought of something. "In fact, why don't you join me tomorrow morning for some training? Fenghuang wanted my help with something."

"Oh sure, why not?" Fung said.

"Alright, I'll see you in the morning then," Karasu said. He then remembered an important fact. "Oh yeah, and make sure to keep an open mind, okay? Fenghuang has some… interesting methods for training sometimes."

As the croc left, the raven got onto his mat and set out a scroll from his box of ninja scrolls. It would be useful in the morning for the training the owl master had in mind.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Sorry for a shorter chapter! I just need a smaller chapter to get the training all set up.**

 **Next time, the real training begins, with some hijinks on the way as well.**


	20. New Legends of Yin and Yang 3

The next morning, Fenghuang was officially starting her training with Suya… by having a bath in the hot springs.

"Is this really necessary?" Suya said, standing at the edge of the pool while Fenghuang lounged in the water.

"Of course it is," the elder owl said. "By relaxing in the hot springs, you can open your mind to almost anything."

"Does it actually work, though?" Suya asked. Only getting an eyebrow raise in response to her question, the snowy owl sighed and took off her clothes, getting into the spring and settling down into the water. As she relaxed, Suya let her senses go and have the steam and water warm her up. In fact, she was so relaxed that she didn't notice anyone else getting into the water until they spoke up.

"Enjoying yourself?" asked the voice.

Opening her eyes, Suya almost jumped out of the water in shock from the sight of _Karasu_ in the bath with the two owls.

"You perv! What are you doing in here!?" she shouted.

"Calm down my student, I invited Karasu to join us. She will be helping us with your training today," Fenghuang said.

" _She?_ " Suya questioned.

Looking at Karasu, the snowy owl noticed that there was a difference in how the raven looked. _Her_ face was more smooth than normal, along with the topknot being let down so that her head feathers went down her back. And there was the more obvious fact that she had certain… assets that a male didn't.

"What the heck?" Suya said aloud.

"I don't just have Chi in my arsenal, I also have ninja magic," Karasu explained. "I don't use it that often as I find it a cheap tactic to use in combat. For other means, however, it come in handy, like getting into places you're not supposed to."

"I was surprised when he first did it as well, but it's just one of the quirks that makes him special," Fenghuang said, pulling Karasu close and coming a wing through the raven's head feathers.

Suya then looked at them funny. "Wait, I thought that you and Shen were a thing. Are you actually with Karasu?"

"Oh I'm not with either of my students," the elder owl said, "both of them are competing to gain my affection."

"So they're both dating you?" Suya asked.

"Well, it's more like we're waiting for her to decide which one she wants to keep," Karasu said, "though I think Shen is ahead on that front."

"You still think we had 'fun' that one night, don't you?" Fenghuang teased.

"Oh I know you didn't, but he still hasn't confirmed or denied it," Karasu said in a sing-song tone.

While the two chatted, Koji was walking around the bathhouse looking for Karasu. "Karasu, where are you man? I'm ready for our training, and Fung has been looking for you as well." Opening a sliding door, the beetle was shocked to find three naked women in a hot spring. Blood spilling out of his nose from the sight, Koji fell into a dead faint and passed out on the floor.

Karasu sighed. "He's my student, I'll deal with him," she said. Getting out of the bath, she did a few hand motions, and in a flash of magic, she was back to being her male self. The raven then picked up the beetle (with was an impressive feat seeing as physical strength was not Karasu's forefront) and took him to get some medical attention.

As Fenghuang watched the scene play out, she noticed a faint blush on Suya's face, whom was covering herself despite the water and steam making anything exposed not visible. Smiling wickedly, Fenghuang pulled Suya close with a wing and rubbed her back, causing the young owl to shutter a bit.

"You like Koji, don't you?" Fenghuang said, "and don't deny it, I see how you both look at each other."

At this point, Suya was blushing all over, not being a position to deny anything. "Um…y-yeah," she stuttered. "I mean, I think he's good at dancing and that he's kinda cute, but I don't think he feels the same way about me."

Hearing that, Fenghuang turned Suya around and grabbed the young owl by the face, which at this point was a bright red. "Now that's the most bull answer I've hear since that one time I faced Master Ox in combat," the elder owl said. "You have an adorable face, Suya, and any boy that doesn't see that is missing out. And from what I've seen, Koji seems _very_ smitten with you. He sees you for who you are with your big heart." Again, Fenghuang gained a cheeky grin as she looked over Suya's body. "The fact that most women would be jealous of the figure you have is just a bonus on your adorable package. Koji will be a _really_ lucky boy when you decide to get serious."

"O-o-okay," Suya said, being released from Fenghuang's grip and turning around to both process what she had just be told and let her blush calm down. Taking a deep breath, she turned back around and looked up at the elder owl. "Alright, I'm better now. Can we get onto the training?"

Fenghuang smiled softly. She could feel a change in her student, one of self-acceptance and confidence. "Alright, let us begin. Start by reaching out and feeling the wind, like leaves in a breeze…"

 **[***]**

After Koji recovered from fainting, Karasu continued with his training of the beetle, with Fung coming with them to the cave to watch. The two training vigorously with in the art of the sword, with Koji rapidly becoming more competent with the weapon.

"I'm impressed Koji, your skills with the sword have improved drastically since yesterday. It's almost as if you gained the skills overnight," Karasu joked, laughing a bit. He stopped, however, when he saw Koji flinch a bit at the statement. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine, nothing at all!" the beetle said too quickly. When the raven and crocodile gave him a weird look, Koji sighed and set his sword down. "Okay, everything is not fine, but not in a bad way. You see, I have this… thing in my head that talks to me in my sleep that trains me to unlock my potential. He's been training me to use the sword, which is how I seem to have improved so much."

"Oh, so you have a demon inside of you," Karasu said.

"What wait!?" Fung shouted in surprise.

"I've seen this before," Karasu said. "Actually, in Japan quite a few of our greatest warriors use the powers of their ancestors to become stronger. I was wondering about why you couldn't use Chi, and it occurred to me that there might be a mental block of some sort that prevents you from using it."

"Well, I'm glad that you're so accepting of it," Koji said, giving a sigh of relief. "I'm not to sure if my friends will be, however."

"Come on dude, they're your friends," Fung said. "If anyone can accept you, it would be them."

"Heh, thanks you two," Koji said. "Too bad you can't help me on the whole dream training front."

"Actually, I think I can," Karasu said. Pulling out a scroll, he unfurled it and gestured for the other two in the room to come closer. "I don't normally do this, but with this scroll I can use magic to reach into your subconscious and unlock your potential."

"Woah, that's cool," Koji said. "But wait, don't I have to be asleep for this to work?"

"No, I just have to do this," Karasu said. Throwing a wing at the beetle's forehead, magic swirled around him as it entered Koji's body. An effect was instantly had as Koji's body burst with energy, pushing Karasu and Fung back from the force. When the two looked up, they were surprised at what they saw…

 **[***]**

"Come on Neyo, you need to focus on learning new things," Mei Ling chided.

The mountain cat was training the hedgehog up at the Lake of Tranquility, which is the place where Karasu taught Crane to use his water Chi. Master Crane was with the two as well, partly to see how Neyo fights, but also to hang out with his girlfriend.

"I know, I only use my quills and Wind Palm to fight," Neyo said. "I just have a lot on my mind right now. Before we came her to train, I was approached by a man named Xie Zheng, a hedgehog from the Hedgehog Clan. He wanted me to join their clan, and I've been debating if it would be better to join them."

"Are you kidding?" Mei Ling said, "you don't abandon your friends for anything. How do you know that this Zheng guy isn't evil? You've gotten this far with your friends, and you'll only go farther with them."

"If you want to get stronger, then maybe you just need something to focus your strength through," Crane suggested.

"That… could work," Neyo said. "I'm still uncertain of if I should or should not join the Hedgehog clan, but I so think a weapon of some sort would be a good idea."

Heading back down to the Jade Palace, Crane took Neyo and Mei Ling into the weapon room of the palace to look for something for Neyo to use. While down there, Master Shifu showed up to help find a weapon for the hedgehog.

"We do have some weapons from the Arritochan tribe down here. Let's see what we can find," Shifu said.

Moving past rows and rows and weapons, the group came a cross some silver sticks and a silver glove made by the Arritochans. Putting the glove on, Neyo was surprised when a blue light on the back of the glove turned on and a bow materialized in his hand.

"Ah, so that is what it does," Shifu said. "While we have had these in our possession for quite some time, we never could get them to work. Oogway did speculate that only a being with Arritochan blood could make them work."

Picking up the sticks, they glowed with the same blue aura and turned into short blades. Giving them a twirl, Neyo put on a smile of confidence.

"Oh yeah, I can work with these," the hedgehog said.

 **[***]**

In the palace courtyard, Shen was hard at work training Toka in the art of Chi fire. The snow leopard had fire as his elemental ability, but preferred to use it to cause smoke that could be detonated at another time. However, what Shen was focusing on was the supposed 'Phoenix Warrior' that the New Legend team was training to find which of them would gain the title.

"You know that the Phoenix Warrior is you, right?" Shen said.

"What?" Toka said, taken aback by the statement. "Nonono. I'm not the Phoenix Warrior."

In response to that, Shen smacked the snow leopard across the face and all the way across the field.

"Don't talk like that," Shen said, his Chi flaring up around him. Holding out his other wing, the peacock manifested a second Guan Dao. "This is my Burning Shen form. With this, my power increases immensely and I can't feel pain, but any damage I take will be felt all at once, which could end up kill me."

"That's great, but why'd you hit me?" Toka said, rubbing his cheek from the hit.

"Because I needed to build up some aggression to access this form," Shen said. "Another perk I have is that I can sense Chi in others at the same level as Karasu does normally. And right now, I can see a _very_ high potential in you."

Rushing forward, the peacock threw his Dao forward into Toka, whom instinctively threw his arms out to catch the weapon. Instead of it hitting, though, the fiery Dao pierced right through him, but instead of skewering the leopard, it instead made Toka's Chi flare intensely, bursting out and expelling in front of him.

"What was that?" Toka said, staring at the Chi in front of him.

"My Chi Dao has the unique property of not working on those that use Fire Chi," Shen said. "Instead, it makes their Chi manifest outside of their body for a short time. And by the looks of it, I was right."

Indeed, right in front of Toka was a Phoenix made out of Chi, though instead of Shen's traditional phoenix of orange, yellow, and green, Toka's was a brilliant jade green with a smoky appearance opposed to Shen's flame appearance.

"Congratulations, Toka. You are the Phoenix Warrior."

 **[***]**

That night, after everyone had recovered from their training, Alena was sitting underneath the sacred peach tree, bathing in the moonlight. Fenghuang had found the that panther's Chi was the element of lunar, or Night, energy, which meant that her strength increased during the night and especially on full moons.

As she sat there, an arrow came out of nowhere and landed next to her. Picking it up, she read the note that was attached to it. After getting to the bottom, her ears went down as she ran off back to the palace. Picking up a blank scroll and brush, she quickly wrote a note and left it on the kitchen table.

Alena took one last look at the rooms of her friends, lingering on Toka's door before running out and off to who-knows-where.

 _Besides, she couldn't keep her master waiting._

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Well, that was a lot of stuff, and a lot of teases for the next few chapters. There are about three to four chapters left of this crossover, so hold tight for more.**

 **Karasu can use magic, but he hasn't used it up to this point as he finds it a cheap and dishonorable tactic (Chi isn't magic, it is a physical manifestation of a user's inner power). Also, the who gender-swap thing is just one of his abilities he can use with magic. His portal making is another, though that combines Chi and magic together.**

 **A lot of these scenes were thanks in part to Alex the Owl, the creator of the New Legend team, whom gave me a lengthy synopsis of certain plot beats. Thanks for the help, dude!**

 **What power has Koji unleashed? What is Suya's Chi ability? What powers will Neyo gain with his new weapons? Is Toka really the Phoenix Warrior? Who is Alena's master and why does she have to leave?**

 **Find out next time on "New Legends of Yin and Yang"!**


	21. New Legends of Yin and Yang 4

The next day was chaos at the Jade Palace, with the New Legend team in a panic as their friend Alena had gone missing without a trace.

"Guys, I think I found the answer to her disappearance," Karasu said, holding the scroll the panther hand left. No one paid any attention to him as they continued to freak out. "Shen, could you get their attention please?"

Nodding, the peacock used his train to momentarily stun the others and get them to calm down.

"What's the deal?" Koji asked.

"I found a letter from Alena about where she went," Karasu stated. Instantly everyone gathered around the raven as he unfurled the scroll to read it. "Ahem, _Dear friends, if you're reading this, then I've left on the orders of my master."_

"Master?" Toka said in confusing.

" _Before I met any of you, I lived with my father, whom was the biggest crime boss in all of western China."_ Karasu paused, turning to Shen. "Didn't we fight a panther crime boss once?"

"We did, a long time ago," Shen replied, "though it makes sense, as it is very possible that this universe has its own version of Toka and his friends."

" _One day, he got on the wrong side of a powerful master called Pan Mei, a crane. To appease him, my father sold me off to him, and for most of my life I was treated like the worse scum imaginable."_

"That's horrible," Viper said, with everyone else nodding in agreement.

" _While he did teach me to become strong and make my fists unbreakable, his methods were cruel, not letting me take a break until I bled or worse. When I met all of you, I was left to die in the wilderness to learn how to survive."_

Toka clinched his fist in anger. "If I find this guy, I'll make him pay for hurting my friend," the snow leopard seethed. Everyone took a step back from how much anger was in his voice.

" _The reason I left was that Pan Mei sent me a message saying that he had found me in this dimension when we crossed over, and that I was to return to him to be sacrificed during the upcoming eclipse."_

"That's less than a few hours away," Fenghuang said, pointing out how the moon was slowly rising to meet the sun in the sky.

" _With my sacrifice, Pan Mei will gain the powers of the sun and moon goddess. As he is my master, I have no choice but to obey his orders. I'm sorry I didn't tell you this in person, but know that I will miss all of you. It was fun while it lasted, but our time together is at an end. Don't follow me. Alena."_

As Karasu finished the letter, he dropped it on the ground and looked at everyone. All of them were in shock or horror at what the letter entailed. Toka, however, grabbed Karasu by the hem of his kimono and pulled him close.

"You can track Chi, right? Then take us to where Alena is," he growled.

"Yeah, she's our friend, so we'll never give up on her!" Koji said, punching a fist into the air.

"One master will be no match for a group of warriors," Suya said.

"Especially with our new tricks," Neyo said, showing off his Chi bow.

Karasu smiled, letting himself out of Toka's grip. "I wasn't going to let her die either," he said. "Alright Tao, let's Go!"

"New Legend, it's time to shine!" Toka shouted, his friends rallying behind him to go save their friend.

 **[***]**

After an hour of travel (and an hour before the eclipse), the group of Tao Go, New Legend, Furious Five, and Po had made it to a place called Celestial Point, a plateau in the middle of a canyon where it was said in legend the sun and moon goddess first raised the celestial bodies. On the plateau, the heroes found Alena tied up on a rock, wearing little but her undergarments.

Also there was a group of other animals around her. The first was an old crane with white and grey feathers, a long goatee (don't ask me how a bird has facial hair), and red pants and vest. The second was a hedgehog whose face was covered by a metal grey helmet with some blue streaks and horns aimed at the sky on the sides, with matching lightweight armor covering his body, as well as strange machines on his wrists and back.

The third was a female eagle with red head feathers and blue eyeshadow, a white beak, black, white, and blue body feathers, and wearing a black vest and trousers. The fourth and final animal was a beetle exactly like Koji, but lacking a horn and having green body paint, black pants, and green and yellow eyes.

"Ah, so your friends have arrived to see me fulfill my destiny," the crane, Pan Mei, said in a sinister way.

"Let Alena go!" Toka shouted, letting out a battle cry as he charged at the crane. Pan Mei simply swatted the snow leopard away like a fly, Toka flying back and being caught by Po.

"Pitiful, I expected more from the ones my student decided to associate herself with," Pan Mei said in a disappointed tone. He then turned to the other three with him. "Do what you came here to do and make sure no one interrupts the ritual."

Nodding, the other three villains charged at the heroes, cutting them off from each other as the eagle summoned tree monsters to attack the Furious Five, leaving the Tao Go and New Legend, plus Po, to deal with these new threats.

* * *

 _Round 1: Koji and Karasu vs Ahulani_

"Master has ordered me to stop you," the beetle said in a monotone voice.

"Ahulani," Pan Mei said, "remember your training and take out this bug that banished your family from their tribe so long ago."

His face hardening, Ahulani charged at Koji, only for Karasu to jump in with a sword strike to the chest. The dark beetle showed no emotion, but fell back as the hit started to bleed.

"My sword tells me that you have no soul," the raven said, taking a fighting stance. "Pan Mei must be truly sick if he thinks that not having emotions is the key to strength."

Ahulani ignored the raven and charged at Koji again, the young beetle surprised by how strong his opponent was. The two exchanged blows, with Karasu pitching in with his sword and lightning Chi. Neither of the heroes were able to make an advancement, but Ahulani was visibly slowing down from all of the cuts he was receiving.

"Time to finish this," Koji said. Raising a hand to his face, dark Chi suddenly burst from his body as he transformed into his demon form. "Power of the Beetle, CONG WO!" he shouted. As the Chi settled down, Koji was now wearing a kitsune-style mask in the shape of beetle, being completely white with red markings.

"Woah, look at that," Toka said in awe at his friend's new power.

"I can do that too," Ahulani said. Doing a similar stance, the dark beetle gained his own mask, this one in the style of a bat with green instead of red. He also now had bat wings, which allowed him to float above the battlefield.

" **This will be interesting,"** Koji said, summoning a sword made of Chi and charging.

Karasu could only watch has his student faced off against his dark counterpart, the two demon-powered beetles clashing with strikes that were too fast of the untrained eye. After a while, Koji jumped back and charged but his sword with demon energy.

" **Bug's Bite!"** he shouted, shooting off towards his opponent and firing the attack at point-black range. Smoke was scattered about, obscuring the field, until Koji was blasted back by a massive beam of green and black energy.

Karasu helped his student up as Ahulani stepped out of the smoke, holding Koji's mask in his hand and crushing it. **"That was weak,"** the villain said, **"I expected more from a demon Chi user."**

Koji struggled back to his feet. "I'll never stop fighting," he said in a weak voice. "My friend's life is on the line. I cannot fail!" Remaking his mask, the young beetle shot off another Bug's Bite, only for Ahulani to block it and sucker punch Koji in the face.

"N..n..no," Koji said weakly, falling to his knees. "I'm sorry everyone, but I guess I really am a loser."

"KOJI!" Karasu shouted, getting the beetle's attention. "I refuse to let you give up! We will make it through this, TOGETHER!"

With his declaration, the raven shot forward with blinding speed and grabbed Koji's body from the ground, taking him to a safer place. Picking up his student's broken mask, Karasu put in on and took a stance against Ahulani.

" **You do know that only a person with a demon inside them can use the mask's power,"** the dark beetle said.

"Who said I didn't?" Karasu retorted. Holding up his sword, he stabbed it into Koji, the blade sucking up the demon Chi and moving it into the raven. With a cry of power, the mask shifted from a beetle into a dragon, with Karasu's outfit changing into an exact match of what Koji usually wears, body paint and all.

" **Woah, what just happened?"** Karasu said, his voice now a combination of his own and Koji's.

" **My sword will allow me to temporarily use an allies Chi when it stabs them,"** Karasu said. **"Right now, we're sharing a mind space through your demon Chi. It won't last forever, though, so let's kick this guy's ass."**

" **Are you just going to stand there?"** Ahulani asked in his usual monotone voice. In response to that, he received a massive strike to the face, nearly decapitating him if not for a close dodge.

The battle began anew, with Demon Karasu (as we'll be calling the fusion of Koji and Karasu) attacked relentlessly with constant sword strikes and demon lightning. Ahulani thought he could still win, and fought back with his own dark Chi and hi strongest attack, Dark Sky. When the massive beam of green and black hit, though, Demon Karasu simply sent out his own final attack, Demon Dragon Bite, which was a massive bolt of red and black lightning. As the beams clashed, both opponents struggled to gain dominance, with neither gaining ground on the other.

" **Tell me, why do you not YIELD!?"** Ahulani yelled, showing his first sign of emotion.

" **Because we have a cause to fight for, which you sorely lack,"** Demon Karasu said simply, giving a strike from his sword that pushed his beam over the edge and overtake Ahunani's.

There was a massive explosion, and when the dust cleared, the dark beetle stood in shock as a massive hole hand been blown through his chest. Releasing his demon from, Ahulani on said, "Master… I'm… Sorry," before falling to the ground dead.

Releasing his own demon form, Karasu held his sword over Koji's body, returning the demon energy to the beetle.

"Did we win?" he asked, looking up as his master picked him up from the floor.

"We did, buddy, together," Karasu said with a smile.

* * *

 _Round 2: Suya and Fenghuang vs. Tatara_

"Time for me to make my kill and look good while doing it," Tatara said, brushing away a stray feather from her face as she pulled out a fairly large pearl.

"Great, I have to fight a narcissistic little-" Fenghuang said.

"How do you have the Pearl of Hope?" Suya asked, recognizing the object the eagle was holding.

"Oh this? It is where I draw my power," Tatara explained. "As a servant to the Tree of Life, I command it to my whim and plan to sacrifice your pretty face to it to gain even more."

"Not likely," Fenghuang boasted, creating some ice in her wings as she stood valiantly next to Suya.

The two owls made their attack on the eagle, using their attacks to quickly overpower their opponent. While Fenghuang kept up the pressure with Ice, Suya used her Petal Chi to make a whirlwind of Peach Blossom petals that caused small but damaging cuts on Tatara. Eventually, the eagle went down, with Suya landing on her chest to hold her down while Fenghuang froze her legs.

"Oh, it looks like you've bested me," Tatara sighed, "it would be a shame then if I-" With unfound strength, the eagle grabbed Suya with a wing and threw her into the air, using her wood Chi to entangle the young owl in a cherry blossom tree. "-ruined it for you." Taking the pearl out, Tatara shoved it into Suya's stomach (where her bellybutton would be) and giving an evil laugh. "You see, foolish girl, the Pearl of Hope is a siphon for the Tree of Life, which means that it will drain every last drop of life force in your body until I can take it for my own."

"You BITCH!" Fenghuang shouted, rushing forward and giving the eagle a good beat-down. "Don't. Lay. A Hand. On. My. STUDENT!" With her anger at its peak, the elder owl gained an icy appearance on her feathers and her eyes glowing purple with energy. This was her Freezing Phoenix form, an ability she had only used once before when Karasu and Shen had been put in mortal danger by a particularly nasty Dragon Demon.

As she was blasted back by the ice attack, Tatara laughed as he was hit into the Tree of Life, taking one of its fruits and eating it. "You're too late, the Tree has already born fruit, which means that poor little Suya is just about done." Raising a wing, the eagle shot out a torrent of petals at Fenghuang, who responded with a mini-blizzard attack.

Pushing through, the owl threw the eagle away from the tree and made a beeline to where Suya was. "Suya?" Fenghuang asked, pulling her student's body from the tree's limbs and into her arms. "Suya, please, say something to me."

Clutching the young owl's body close, Fenghuang was surprised when the Pearl of Hope shone with a brilliant light that quickly surrounded the young owl. When it faded, Suya was now transformed: she now bore a red flower on her head and a white aura surrounded her body.

"No…No… It's not possible," Tatara said in disbelieve. "The Tree of Life couldn't have chosen you over me. That power should be MINE!" In anger, the eagle charged forward, only for Suya to raise a wing and fire Cherry Blossom petals at her.

"No, the Tree of Life chooses the person that shows inner strength," Suya said calmly. "The Pearl of Hope is a test, for only those that show unwavering faith in themselves will gain its power, which a vain person like you wouldn't understand." Raising her wings again, the owl unleashed her newest attack, Cherry Blossom Dance, which created a tornado of petals to attack.

When Tatara summoned tree monsters to defend herself, Suya simply created her own monsters to take them down. Getting desperate, the eagle charged forward, only for Fenghuang to meet her in the middle with a hard punch to the gut.

"That's for making me think I'd lost a student," she whispered to herself, throwing the eagle into the air. "Suya, let us finish this together."

Raising their wings, both owls created a storm of Ice and Petals that formed into an uncontrollable maelstrom. "Evergreen Storm Dance!" they shouted together, their attack smashing into Tatara and tearing her apart, dropping her body onto the Tree of Life, which quickly abosobed the eagle.

"I just… I just wanted to be pretty," Tatara said weakly as her life force was completely drained into the tree, her body becoming nothing more than bark on its trunk.

Landing on the ground, Suya returned to her normal form (though she kept the flower), falling over from exhaustion.

"You did good, my student," Fenghuang said, picking the young owl up and taking her over to Koji and Karasu.

* * *

 _Round 3: Neyo, Fung, and Mei Ling vs. Xie Zheng_

"So, this is that hedgehog guy you were talking about?" Mei Ling asked Neyo, dodging the dark hedgehog's dark sword, the Jinshu Jian Jiao (Screaming Metal).

"Yeah, this is the guy," the young hedgehog said, pulling out his Chi bow and firing a few shots.

Zheng easily blocked all of them with his sword and rushed forward to meet Neyo face-to-face. "I'm disappointed that you chose the others over your own species," he said, smacking Neyo away with a sizable cut to the chest.

"My friends are more important to me," Neyo said with confidence, pulling out his Chi daggers and charging forward.

The two hedgehogs exchanged blows for a bit, with Neyo clearing being outmatched my Zheng's size and skill. Knocking the daggers away, the dark hedgehog used his wrist gauntlet to fire a rope around Neyo, then using his back gadget, he rocketed upward and with a spin threw Neyo to the ground.

"If you surrender yourself to me, I'll let your friends live," Zheng said. When Mei Ling and Fung rushed in to help, the dark hedgehog threw some needles at them. "Don't interrupt our duel," he said in a dark tone. He jumped off of Neyo and onto Mei Ling, tying her up in rope and putting his sword to her throat.

"Wait!" Neyo shouted, getting up from the ground. "I'll do whatever you say, just don't hurt her!"

Moving the sword away, Zheng chuckled darkly as he approached the young hedgehog. "Good choice. With my training, together we can rule China as our clan is destined to."

"I don't think so," Fung said, standing in the way with his arms crossed.

Zheng chuckled, then fell into a full-blown laugh. "You think you're a threat to me?" he questioned, "in my world, you aren't even a notable threat to anyone, especially me. My technology is too advanced for any of you to handle. I'm practically a GOD. So what makes you think-"

He never finished as with a sudden sound of something growing, the dark hedgehog looked up to see the Fung had grown to monstrous size, being even bigger than Lidong had been. With a feral growl, the crocodile took the hedgehog in his mouth and relentlessly thrashing him on the ground. After a few hits, Zheng was nothing more than a mess of broken armor on the ground with all of his weapons broken.

"Puny God," Fung said, his voice much deeper than normal, before returning to normal size.

"This... changes nothing," Zheng said, "I will convert you to my cause, Neyo, if it's the last thing I do." Pulling out an orb, he smashed it on the ground, which made a portal back to the New Legend world. "I'll be seeing you soon, my apprentice," Zheng said before jumping through.

As Neyo cut Mei Ling's bindings, he looked sadly at where the portal had been, knowing he would have to fight that guy again.

"Don't worry, your friends will be with you when you face off again," Mei Ling said, putting a hand on the hedgehog's shoulder.

"Uh, guys, would anyone have an extra pair of pants?" Fung asked. When he had used his Chi powers to grow in size (thanks to the talisman he had nabbed off of Lidong), his pants had completely ripped, leaving him naked on a chilly plateau.

Mei Ling just sighed as she took the two over to where everyone was regrouping.

* * *

 _Round 4: Toka, Shen, and Po vs. Pan Mei_

The fight was not going well for the heroes in this round. Pan Mei had the power to take all of them on, even if he himself lacked Chi.

"Feathered Flurry!" Shen shouted, throwing a bunch of daggers at the evil crane.

While Pan Mei blocked and dodged all of them, it left him open for an attack by Po, which he also blocked. This, however, let Toka get a hit in on the crane, whom bounced a bit from the hit.

"I must admit, that almost kind of hurt," the crane said, wiping some blood from his beak, "but you're all too late. The eclipse is here, and I _will_ have its power." As he said that, the sky darkened as the moon started to cover the sun.

"Toka!" Shen shouted, "I'll deal with him, you go save your girlfriend!"

"She not my-" Toka started to retort.

"Dud, focus on the mission," Po said in an unusually serious tone.

Toka ran over to Alena to try and cut her bindings while Shen prepared his biggest attack. Going into his Burning Shen form, he charged with an instantaneous speed at Pan Mei and knocked him into the air. The peacock's aura turned into a blazing Phoenix of orange, yellow, and green as he flew up over the evil crane and slammed down in a massive fireball. As the explosion ended, Shen panted as his attack had drained all of his Chi from his body.

Just when it looked like he had won, a foot slammed down on the peacock's neck as Pan Mei stood over him without a mark on his body.

"Did you think a sickly, pale, _albino_ would take me down?" Pan Mei said. "Alena is mine and mine alone, and I can do anything I want with her. You should be on my side, as birds are the most superior race to them all. Instead you fight with these disgraces. And that foreigner you call a friend? Disgusting."

While that was going on, Toka had barely managed to pulled Alena out of her bindings just as a massive beam shot down from the eclipse right where she was being held. When the beam faded, everyone looked on as the panther's appearance had changed. Alena's right side had turned white with red markings while her left side was black with purple markings. She also had lost her clothes, which meant that Toka was now holding a very naked Alena. He quickly pulled away and turned around embarrassed as Pan Mei started to chuckle.

"I see. Due to you being pulled away, you only gained have of the goddess' power," the evil crane explained. "I'm surprised: no woman should be able to have such power."

In response to that, Alena (in her new Eclipse form) used her new powers to throw Pan Mei to the ground. Not about to be beat by a girl, the evil crane went on the attack, though the panther kept hitting him with Solar and Lunar Chi. Getting angry, he rushed forward and, grabbing her around the neck, threw her to the ground.

"No girl, will ever, beat me!" Pan Mei seethed through his beak.

Toka, in a matter of rash thinking, ran forward and sucker punched the crane with his Iron Fist technique. What was surprising was that as he did so, his Chi flared around him, taking the shape of a jade phoenix.

"No one hurts my friend," Toka said sternly, helping Alena to her feet.

"No way…" Po said in awe at the sight.

"Toka, you're the Phoenix Warrior!" Koji cheered.

* * *

 _Final Round: Phoenix Toka and Eclipse Alena vs. Pan Mei_

The two cats rushed forward, and with their powers, Pan Mei was no match. The old bird couldn't even retaliate as the two heroes wasted him with their raw power and speed.

"Let's end this," Alena said.

Toka nodded as the two charged up their most powerful attacks, Toka with his fist and Alena with her Chi. "PHOENIX FIST/ ECLIPSE BURST!" they shouted, rushing Pan Mei with all of their power. The bird screamed in pain as he was incinerated into nothing, even his spirit being totally destroyed by the combined attack. He wouldn't be coming back at any time, ever.

When the two heroes dropped out of their super forms, Alena rushed over to Toka and pulled him into a hug.

"We did it!" she shouted, giving him a peck on the cheek.

Toka blushed furiously from both the kiss and the fact the he was being hugged by a naked girl. Koji also had a similar reaction, with a jet of blood coming out of his nose from the sight and fainting. Fenghuang chuckled from the boy's predicament, while Monkey just looked at the sight with an impish grin.

"Lucky that you got the naked girl, huh Toka?" Monkey remarked. In response to that, Tigress slugged the primate, knocking him out in one punch.

"Can we go home now?" Po asked, "I'm super hungry and super tired from all of the fighting."

"And I still need new pants," Fung said, using his helmet to cover up his dignity.

"I think that all of us will deserve a nice, long rest," Karasu said. Pulling out his sword, the blade glowed brightly as he swung it, creating a portal back to the Jade Palace. "There's enough excess Chi in the air for me to get us all back. So now, let's go home."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **WOW, that was a long chapter. A very special thanks to Alex the Owl for giving me all the details to make this fight sequence as amazing as it is.**

 **First of all, Karasu's sword. It can allow him to temporarily merge his Chi with another's, but it only works when the person is willing to give up their Chi or is unconscious (which Koji was). Some artwork of Demon Karasu would be pretty badass, if I do say so myself.**

 **Xie Zheng seems to have overly advanced weaponry, but that was Alex's choice, not mine. Also, I hope one of you got the reference to a certain movie during this fight.**

 **I'm still trying to decide if Alena and Fung being nude is more fan-service than the bathhouse scene from last chapter…**

 **Next time, when wrap up tis crossover with some goodbyes, a song, and gifts for all.**


	22. New Legends of Yin and Yang Finale

**AN: Time for the crossover to end, and the Phoenix of Yin and Dragon of Yang to part ways with the New Legend.**

* * *

When everyone arrived back at the Jade Palace, it was late in the day, which meant that there was only time for dinner and bed; they could talk more in the morning. When the next day came around, everyone was surprised to find _two_ Master Shifu's in the courtyard, though there was a distinct difference between the two: one had a green sash around his body while the other didn't.

"Master?" the New Legend group asked in surprise.

"My students," the sash-wearing Shifu (who we're going to refer to as Legend Shifu) said in response. "It's nice to see that all of you are doing well, though I can see that Alena has different attire now."

It was true: Alena was now wearing a crop-top version of her red and purple vest, which exposed her midriff and added a hood to the back. She had also swapped out her sandals for purple boots and added on red gloves to her hands, though her red pants remained the same. All of this was curtesy of Mei Ling, whom thought that Alena deserved a new set of clothes after her previous outfit had been destroyed.

"So you must be the other Shifu," Fenghuang said. She scoffed a bit. "I see that you're not very different from ours, though maybe a bit older."

"And it's nice to see that you still have no respect for me," Legend Shifu said in a deadpan tone. "But from what I can tell, your world is offset from our own in terms of time, seeing as you just recently dealt with Tai Lung while it has been many years since that happened in our world." He then turned to his students. "Can I be assured that you didn't compromise the flow of time for this universe?"

"Nope! We didn't say anything that could ruin the time-space continuum," Koji said. "We're not that stupid, master. I mean, what do you think we would say? That Po's not the last panda in China?"

"I'm not?" Po asked in excitement.

Everyone collectively face-palmed at the beetle's mistake.

"Po, I could have told you that," Karasu said. "I was only your village that was destroyed. There are probably other villages in the farther reaches of China. Am I right?"

"Yep, that's what Koji meant," Suya said with an unconvincing smile.

"No it's not," Koji said in confusion, "did you forget about-?"

He was quickly cut off by being pulled into a passionate kiss by Suya. Koji's face lit up bright red, but he closed his eyes and leaded into it. When the two broke off from the kiss, everyone was looking at them with a knowing grin.

"Took that chance, huh?" Fenghuang asked the young owl.

Suya blushed pink in the face. "Hehe, yeah."

"Now we just have to get the cats over there to do it," Shen said, nudging Toka closer to Alena.

The two looked at each other awkwardly, both blushing madly before shuffling away from each other.

"Anyway, it is time for you to return," Legend Shifu said. "You have more training to do back home, as well as prepare for the upcoming Power Struggle Tournament."

"So soon after the first?" Neyo asked.

"Soon? It's been almost two years since the last one," Karasu questioned.

"Time flows differently in the Tournament world, making its appearance different for each world," Shifu explained.

"Well, I hope to face you in battle this time," Toka said, raising a challenge to the raven.

"If I don't face you first," Shen retorted, "I'll be participating this time as well."

Karasu then remembered something. "Before you guys go, I need to give each of you something." Disappearing into the palace, the raven returned with a bundle of various items for each of the New Legend members. "First, for my student Koji. Your sword skills have rapidly improved, but to truly be a master you need to forge your own sword. Take this scroll, as it will let you summon a swords smith that can bring your Chi sword into a permanent form."

Giving the beetle the scroll, he coughed a bit. "Just be mindful of his feelings, alright? Dragons demand respect to have them forge a weapon of power."

"I'll do my best," Koji said.

"And I'll make sure he doesn't get himself killed," Suya said.

"As for you, Suya, I think you'll find this scroll useful," Karasu said, handing the snowy owl a scroll. "This scroll contains that spell I used when we were at the hot springs. Use it at your leisure, or if some guy is harassing you." He smiled cheekily. "You would not believe how easy it is to catch people off-guard by switching their gender."

"I'll find some way to use this," Suya said.

The raven then turned to Alena. "We didn't interact that much, but Fenghuang did tell me that your Chi is based on the phase of the moon, so take this." He handed the panther a pendant shaped like the moon. "With this, you can be at full power at any time, though it does need to recharge after an hour. Just hold it under the moonlight to restore it power. Also, don't use it on the full moon unless turning into a werewolf is something you're into."

"Dottily noted," Alena said, putting the pendant around her neck and tucking it under her vest.

Neyo was next. "For you, my friend, I hear you like reading, so how would you like a history of the ninja clan?"

The hedgehog eagerly took the scrolls he was given. "This will give me so much more knowledge! Thanks!"

"And finally, the leader of the team," Karasu said, turning to Toka. "As the bearer of the Jade Phoenix, I found it fitting for you to have this." The raven handed over a shining statuette of a phoenix made of jade. "This statue is one depicting the Jade Phoenix as it exists in our world. In times of need, use it to heal wounds that common medicine can't. Be warned, though, as it cannot bring back the dead and can only be used once every seven days, so use it wisely."

"I'll accept your gift and use it well," the snow leopard said.

"Wait! If give us gifts, then we should give you some!" Koji exclaimed. Hopping through the portal to his world, the beetle soon returned with gifts of his own. "For the coolest (and only) ninja I know, I give you your own instrument so we can be jam buddies!" The beetle handed over a flute-type instrument to the raven.

"It's a Pendant Ocarina," Karasu noted, playing a few notes on the small instrument. He hung the small wind instrument around his neck and gave a bow of thanks.

"For helping me find my potential, I give you this," Toka said, handing over something to Shen.

"What exactly is this?" the peacock asked, looking at all angles at the device he held.

"I noticed that while you fight with your feet at times, you don't have anything covering them," the snow leopard explained. "In our world, Shen had metal coverings, so I thought it would be helpful for you as it was for him."

"I will make sure to use these tools for good," Shen said, putting the talon covers on and giving a few test kicks to get a feel for them.

"My turn," Suya announced. She gave a flower to Fenghuang. "In my village, the Tree of Life helps us produce many types of flowers. This one is known as the Twilight's Hope, as it is said to be seen only by those that are lost in what seems like a hopeless situation." She placed the flower in her master's hands. "May it be your light when everything seems darkest.

Fenghuang didn't say anything, but pulled the young owl into a hug. "Thank you," she whispered, before letting got and giving a rough cough. "I accept the gift," she said, returning to her usual cool tone.

"Mine is for you, Mei Ling," Neyo said. "I believe that everyone can learn something new, so I give you this scroll I found about how the wind works. Maybe it will help you to expand your Chi powers."

"Why thank you," Mei Ling said, giving the hedgehog a boop on the nose. When Crane seemed to be a bit jealous of that gesture, she turned around and gave her boyfriend a kiss on the beak, making him pull his hat down in embarrassment.

"And finally, Fung," Alena said. She held her gift behind her back, before whipping it out and throwing it on his snout. "I noticed that your powers made your clothes disappear, so here's some pants that are enchanted to grow with the wearer."

"Uh, thanks," the croc said, taking the garment off of his snout and giving an awkward bow.

Everyone stood there, looking at their gifts, before an air of sadness fell over them.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye for now," Koji said.

"Yeah, it is," Karasu said. The raven held up a fist, and the beetle met it with his own.

As everyone made a way towards the portal, Koji turned around quickly. "Wait! We should do that thing we were working on!"

"Thing?" Shen questioned.

"Oh right, that song we were doing together between training," the raven said in recollection.

The beetle took out his guitar and the raven stood beside his as he started to play. The guitar started with a simple beat, but the scene faded as a song started to play.

* * *

 **(Cue "Hero!", theme of One Punch Man, with translation provided by Johnathan Young)**

The guitar turns into an electric one as a beat picks up, with mystic energy building with it.

 ** _ONE PUNCH!_**

With that declaration, the logo of "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang" appears, with the "New Legend Reboot" joining it quickly, ending with both of them combining into "New Legends of Yin and Yang".

 ** _3... 2... 1...Killshot!_**

 ** _I'm here for fun I'm number one_**

As the boasting starts, we see Karasu and Shen fighting side-by-side next to each other, effortlessly taking out various mooks.

 **(What are you saying?)**

 **(Frustration!)**

 ** _(No one can stop me!)_**

The background voices chime in as the other Tao Go members join in the fight.

 ** _One punch! That's it! I always win!_**

Suddenly, Toka comes out of nowhere and uses his Iron Fist to send a whole wave of enemies flying, with the snow leopard blowing smoke off of his paw.

 **(Listen to me!)**

 ** _(Victory again!)_**

The other New Legend members join him for a victory pose, with Tao Go looking unimpressed.

 ** _Power... Get more power!_**

 ** _Last minute limit counting –_**

 ** _3... 2... 1..._**

Both sides stand off each other as their Chi flares. Each person gets a quick up-close shot as the countdown goes, before…

 ** _HERO!_**

 ** _Don't wanna hear you calling out my name_**

 ** _I'm not here for fortune and fame_**

The screen bursts as the heroes fight off more mooks, with a crowd of civilians looking on in awe.

 ** _HERO!_**

 ** _Instead, I'll fight knowing nobody knows my name..._**

 **(Nobody knows who he is!)**

As the heroes win, the run off without a trace, with one of the civilians saying the line in parenthesizes.

 ** _My foes are closing in and covering the sky!_**

 ** _...But I won't turn my back tonight!_**

Suddenly, the group is surrounded by various villains of both team, but they stay standing to face the onslaught.

 ** _HERO!_**

 ** _I'll stay - until I taste the dirt of defeat someday..._**

 ** _Unleash my fist!_**

 ** _HERO!_**

Each Tao Go member looks to their New Legend counterpart, before charging up and jumping forward to attack.

 ** _3... 2... 1... Fight back!_**

 ** _Push on, prepared, fight fair and square_**

We see each of the New Legend getting trained by the Tao Go.

 **(What's going on?** ** _All of my foes are gone)_**

 ** _Let justice last_**

 ** _No questions asked_**

We see all of the new powers getting learned: Koji's demon form, Toka's Jade Phoenix, Suya and Alena's Chi, and Neyo's new weapons.

 ** _(Give me the heart, to cut through the dark and win!)_**

 ** _Power! Get more Power!_**

 ** _Adrenaline is flowing through my brain_**

We see each of the New Legend posing with their new attacks.

 ** _Power! Get more Power!_**

 ** _With discipline and every hour that I've trained_**

The Tao Go take over and show off their powers.

 ** _HERO!_**

 ** _The tallest mountain started as a stone_**

 ** _I once was weak but now I've grown_**

We see how far each of the heroes has come, with brief glimpses of their pasts contrasted by who they are now.

 ** _HERO!_**

 ** _I know, the weakness within is my greatest foe_**

Karasu, Shen, Koji, and Toka look away as their pasts haunt them: Karasu's mother's death, Shen not saving the pandas, Koji being called a loser, and Toka being discriminated against.

 ** _Push on! The mortal man I used to be has died_**

 ** _There's god's inside my fist tonight_**

 ** _HERO!_**

We see the heroes use their final attacks in quick succession.

 ** _I'll stay until I taste the dirt of defeat someday_**

 ** _Unleash my fist!_**

 ** _HERO!_**

As the line is said, we cut back to Koji and Karasu, with the beetle shredding on his guitar through the solo. Karasu sings the next lines as the two rock out with their friends watching.

 ** _Unbreakable, Unyielding Draw the future in my mind_**

 ** _No matter what the cost_**

 ** _At any day and any time_**

 ** _Hero day and night!_**

 ** _Soaring proud and high!_**

As the line is said, Karasu flies up and pulls out his sword, Lightning crackling as we go back into the fantasy sequence. Pulling out Koji's Kitsune mask, he puts it on and goes into Demon Karasu mode.

 ** _HERO!_**

 ** _Don't want to hear you calling out my name_**

 ** _I'm not here for fortune and fame_**

We see scenes of each of the final fights against Pan Mei and his cronies.

 ** _HERO!_**

 ** _Instead I'll fight knowing nobody knows my name_**

The heroes overcome their obstacles.

 ** _Push on! The mortal man I used to be has died_**

 ** _There's god's inside my fist tonight_**

We see everyone gang up on the villains, the scene going slow-mo as we see their final forms: Burning Shen, Freezing Phoenix Fenghuang, Tree of Life Suya, Eclipse Alena, Phoenix Warrior Toka, Neyo with his Chi Weapons, Chong Wo Koji, Fung in is giant form, Mei Ling with her wind Chi, and Karasu with his Dragon Spirit at his side.

 ** _HERO!_**

 ** _I'll stay until I taste the dirt of defeat someday_**

 ** _Unleash my fist!_**

 ** _HERO!_**

Karasu slices, which leaves him as the only one in the room as he charges up power in his hand. When he punches, all of the other heroes flash quickly in his place, all of them doing a punch toward the screen.

 ** _HEROO!_**

 **(AHH! AHHH! AHHHH! AHHHHH!)**

The punch splits the screen as we seen each of the Tao Go with their New Legend counterparts: Shen and Toka stand serious, Fenghuang and Suya attack together, Mei Ling and Neyo use wind Chi, Fung and Alena use their super forms.

 **I'm gonna be the strongest**

 **HEROO!**

The last line is shouted by Koji and Karasu, with the raven holding up his sword while Koji holds up a fist in triumph.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Wow, this was a fun ride. I want to give one final thanks to Alex the Owl for making this crossover possible!**

 **If you want to follow the adventures of Koji, Toka, and the rest of the New Legend team, go read "New Legend Reboot." If you want to see where Karasu and Koji met, as well as see some pretty cool fight scenes, check out "Power Struggle Tournament."**

 **I also want to say that I'll be taking a break from this story, at least for the rest of November. I want to make sure that season two is even better that season 1, so I want to get the plot planned out. I you want to help with that, I will be answering PMs about season 2.**

 **But I won't leave you hanging for a month. Here's a preview for Season 2!**

* * *

The multiverse is vast and full of possibilities, but not every universe is a happy one. Next time on "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon if Yang:

 _"So you're… me?"_

 _"No, I'm what you should have been. You are but a pale imitation of myself."_

 _"How can you choose her over me?!"_

 _"Guys, I think those are you, but like super evil."_

 _"Say goodbye to everyone you love, Dragon of Yang."_

 _"Shen, I_ hate _you."_

 _"Fenghuang, you are under arrest for the murder of…"_

 **Season 2: The Dark Yin**


	23. Season 2 Prologue Theme 2

**Hello dear readers! It's The Dragon Saver, and I wanted to let you know that "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang" will be coming back soon. But in the meantime, here's a preview off what's to come in Season 2!**

* * *

It was a dark and stormy night at the Jade Palace, and Karasu was in the middle of what seemed to be an intense nightmare.

 _A hidden foe within their mist._

 _Another world brought to theirs._

 _Tao Go being torn apart._

 _The death of-_

"NO!" the raven screamed, sitting up on his bed in a cold sweat.

Karasu looked around, seeing that it was only a dream. His scream did not go unnoticed, however, as the rest of his team came to see what was up.

"Karasu, are you okay?" Fung asked.

"Yeah, Fung. It was just a nightmare," the raven replied.

"When it comes to you and Shen, they are anything but dreams," Fenghuang said.

Karasu sighed. "You're right. In my dream, I saw everything going wrong for us, and…" He looked towards Shen with tears in his eyes. "I saw myself, with a sword through your chest."

Shen was taken aback, but went up to his friend and pulled him into a hug. "I don't know what you saw, but I know that you would never turn on me."

The others came in to join the hug as well.

"We're a team, and nothing can tear us apart," Fung said.

"We're more than that, we're a family," Mei Ling added.

"Anyone who wants to tear us apart will have to go through me first," Fenghuang stated.

When the hug broke off, Karasu wiped the tears from his eyes and gave a bow. "Thank you, all of you." He then pulled out his ocarina, walking out of the room. "If you'll excuse me, I want to go practice my instrument. Music helps to calm me after a nightmare."

The team nodded, letting the raven leave his room. Karasu went outside, the rain settling into a light sprinkle as the sun was on the cusp of rising. Arriving at the peach tree, Karasu played a few notes on his ocarina, the petals of the tree swirling with the music until a certain spirit formed.

"Hello, my son," greeted Hikari. "What is it you called me for."

"Can you sing me the song you taught me, the night before… before we were separated," Karasu asked.

"Of course, but only if you join me," Hikari said with a slight laugh.

* * *

 **(Cue "Lost in Thoughts All Alone" by Rena Strober and Matthew Mercer from "Fire Emblem: Fates")**

 **Note: For specific audio, look up "Fire Emblem Fates: Lost in Thoughts All Alone (Azura &Shigure Mixed)" on YouTube by the channel Smith DoesGaming**

As music started, Karasu drew his sword and closed his eyes, focusing on nothing but the music, the world around him faded into a grey void.

 ** _You are the ocean's gray waves, destined to seek_**

 ** _Life beyond the shore just out of reach,_**

The warrior moves to the music, in sync with the song as if in a trance from the woman's singing.

 ** _Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time_**

 ** _The path is yours to climb._**

The background brightens into a white as opposed to the murky grey it was before.

 ** _In the white light, a hand reaches through;_**

Karasu looks to the left to see Shen standing with his wing outstretched to him; the Furious Five, Tao Go, Shifu, and Po also stand behind him.

 ** _A double-edged blade cuts your heart in two_**

 ** _Waking dreams fade away,_**

 ** _Embrace the brand-new day._**

The raven smiles and takes his friend's wing, the scene soon turning into the Jade Palace as if filled in like a painting.

 ** _Sing with me a song of birthrights and love_**

 ** _The light scatters to the sky above._**

Everyone is shown performing their Kung Fu style, with Shen and Karasu standing front and center. Their eyes meet as the friends end their routine and bow to each other.

 ** _Dawn breaks through the gloom, white as a bone_**

 ** _Lost in thoughts all alone_**

Shen looks up from the bow, only to meet an empty courtyard as the color washes away back into the grey void. The music takes a dark turn as Shen frowns and turns away, fading into the grey himself.

 ** _You are the ocean's gray waves, destined to seek_**

 ** _Life beyond the shore just out of reach,_**

Shen is scene going through the same routine Karasu was doing at the beginning. His appearance has also changed, now wielding his original Guan Dao and wearing black robes with blood red trim. It is apparent that this was not the same Shen we've been following.

 ** _Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time_**

 ** _The path is yours to climb._**

The background starts to change colors, but this time to black as embers seem to rise from the ground.

 ** _Embrace the dark you call a home,_**

Shen looks to the right and sees a Komodo Dragon, his hand reaching out to him; the other wolves along with five mysterious figures stand behind him, with the Soothsayer and Masters Croc, Ox, and Rhino being held in chains.

 ** _Gaze upon an empty, white throne_**

 ** _A legacy of lies,_**

 ** _A familiar disguise._**

Shen smiles evilly as he walks towards his army, the scene turning into the Tower of Sacred Flames as he brings him Guan Dao onto whoever is sitting in the throne, which is off-screen.

 ** _Sing with me a song of conquest and fate_**

 ** _The black pillar cracks beneath its weight_**

Shen is seen overlooking the production of his cannons, with sparks and molten metal falling around him.

 ** _Night breaks through the day, hard as a stone_**

 ** _Lost in thoughts all alone._**

Shen walks out of the factory to look at the Gongmen skyline, giving his gaze to the distance as a blood red moon rises, the color draining back into the grey void.

 ** _The path you walk on belongs to destiny, just let it flow_**

The scene splits between two perspectives: Shen walking through the burned down ruins of the Panda Village, while the other is Karasu breaking into Chor-Gom Prison.

 ** _All of your joy and your pain will fall like the tide, let it flow._**

Shen turns around and sees Po standing there, an angry look on the panda's face. Karasu gets to a cell and opens it, revealing Fenghuang in chains.

 ** _Life is not just filled with happiness, nor sorrow_**

Karasu is in tears as Mei Ling takes him away from the Jade Palace as a mysterious figure stands on its steps. Shen turns to the Soothsayer with anger as she pleads to him to not go down this path of darkness.

 ** _Even the thorn in your heart, in time it may become a rose._**

Shen puts a wing to his heart, his scene overtaking the screen as he splits into two different versions of himself; one in red robes (our Shen) and one in black robes (evil Shen).

 ** _A burdened heart sinks into the ground_**

Our Shen and Karasu stand in the grey void together. The two look down as the ground falls out from underneath them.

 ** _A veil falls away without a sound_**

 ** _Not day nor night, wrong nor right_**

 ** _For truth and peace you fight._**

The scene starts to brighten to show them falling off of the Tower of Sacred Flames. When the two land, they face the evil Shen and his five generals.

 ** _Sing with me a song of silence and blood_**

 ** _The rain falls, but can't wash away the mud_**

Instead of the two warriors going forward, they fade into mist as the Furious Five face the generals, each matched up as if looking into a dark mirror.

 ** _Within my ancient heart dwells madness and pride_**

 ** _Can no one hear my cry?_**

Karasu runs through them and charges at the evil Shen. The music picks up again as more scenes are shown: Tao Go walking out of Chor-Gom prison together with a beaten Fenghuang being held between them, Lian and Peng glowing with Chi energy between them, and Po facing off against the evil Shen at the Tower of Sacred Flames. The scene fades to grey again as the music goes sinister again, only to brighten into the melody.

 ** _You are the ocean's gray waves, destined to seek_**

 ** _Life beyond the shore just out of reach,_**

 ** _Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time_**

 ** _The path is yours to climb._**

The same routine from the beginning is shown again as a male singer starts to sing. This time, both Karasu and our Shen perform side by side, the scene slowly fading into the Imperial City.

 ** _In endless dreams, countless realms collide,_**

Tao Go stand defiant against the evil Shen, whom sits on the Emperor's throne with his generals at his side.

 ** _Hope falls only to rise like the changing tide_**

 ** _But all dreams come to an end,_**

 ** _Just whispers on the wind._**

The Furious Five, Po, Shifu, Peng, Lian, and, surprisingly, Wolf Boss stand with them as they all get ready for the final fight.

 ** _Sing with me one last time, for light's sacrifice,_**

 ** _Endless dawn came but not without a price,_**

The battle rages as the two Shens dual one-on-one. Our Shen looks to Karasu, whom is fighting the Komodo Dragon, as the evil Shen closes in behind him, the dark peacock shooting some sort of dark energy into him.

 ** _Lost in the waves there glimmers, a pale blue stone._**

 ** _I think of you, all alone._**

His friends look in horror as he falls, the area fading to the void as Karasu runs to his side, leaving the two in the void alone.

 ** _You are the ocean's gray waves, destined to seek_**

 ** _Life beyond the shore just out of reach,_**

The two singers (male and female) join together for the final chorus as Shen starts to open his eyes, Seeing Karasu at his side crying. When the peacock looks down, we see his body seem to shift between his own and his evil counterpart.

 ** _Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time_**

 ** _The path is yours to climb._**

Shen pulls Karasu close to comfort the raven. He then sees someone approaching the two, but we can only see a shadow.

 ** _You are the ocean's gray waves._**

Before the person can enter the scene, everything fading to grey with the outline of Shen and Karasu morphing into the title "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang."

* * *

 **[***]**

At the Tower of Sacred Flames, the Kung Fu Council are launched into the throne room as the King and Queen sit on the throne. As the Council groan on the floor, a metal talon scrapes against the floor as seven figures enter.

"…Shen?" said the King in surprise.

"Hello father, I'm home," said Shen. His appearance was very different from our Shen. For one, he looked much older, being what his age is in the main universe than the younger version in our universe. He also wore a black robe, with his original Guan Dao drawn.

"Where is Karasu?" the Queen asked.

Shen paused. "Who's Karasu?" he questioned. "It doesn't matter. I would like to introduce you to my generals, the Qīzōng zuì." **(translate to "Seven Deadly Sins" in Chinese)**

"First is the one who brought me here, Zhou Dan." Zhou was a komodo dragon with golden armor and a serrated sword.

"Second, the Fiercest Warrior from her world, Laohu." Laohu was almost a mirror image of Tigress, but she was covered in battle scars and was wearing purple and grey.

"Third, Guan, the Goddess of Storms." Guan was a crane, with the best way to describe her attire was like Raiden from Mortal Combat, with lightning crackling around her wings and electric blue eyes. She also seemed to be a gender-swapped version of Crane.

"Fourth is Tang the Untouchable." Tang was like Mantis, but his body seemed to be in constant motion and had a red aura around it.

"Fifth, Dushe, Master of Poison." Dushe looked like Viper, if Viper was a boy, that is. His body seemed to exhibit an alluring appeal, but with a grin that spelled danger to those that got too close.

"And finally, the Sixth member and the one I'm most proud of, Houzi." Houzi was a monkey, though his head was completely obscured by a metal mask, his hand and feet covered in the same metal with various weapons strapped to his back.

"On, I guess I should mention myself as well," Shen said. He drew his Dao, the blade becoming covered in a dark energy. "I am Lord Shen, ruler of Gongmen and rightful heir to the Emperor's throne. I will have my victory in this world, but first I must eliminate all that stand in my way, starting with _you_."

Shen brought down his weapon, and the throne room went silent.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **The Dark Yin rises**

 **Tao Go falls**

 **Destiny will be met**

 **Fate will be altered**

 **Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang returns**

 **Thanksgiving 2017**


	24. Season 2 Episode 1

**AN: A wild new chapter revealed! It's time for season 2 to start, and for the adventures of Karasu and Shen to return!**

* * *

It's been a year since the battle with Tai Lung, and much had changed at the Jade Palace. It had started when Lord Shen of Gongmen City and Karasu, a ninja from Japan, came to the palace to become Kung Fu Masters. After Po joined as well as the Dragon Warrior, the two birds proved their worth as masters and even brought some of their friends to join them: Mei Ling of Lee Da Academy, Fung the Croc Bandit, and Fenghuang of the original Furious Five.

Recently, Karasu had dubbed the group Tao Go, another group of warriors from another world called the New Legend came over to train, Peng and Lian came to train at the palace, and several tournaments were participated in by Karasu. Now the ninja raven was enjoying not having to deal with any world-ending events for a change.

"MASTER RAVEN!" yelled a voice, startling the raven as a snow leopard jumped up in his face.

Karasu squawked and jumped up, correcting himself and landing on the ground safely. "Long!" the raven chided. "No matter the circumstance, you should _never_ surprise a ninja. I could have accidentally hurt or even killed you!"

The snow leopard jumped down and landed in front of Karasu with a bow. They had green eyes with a spot pattern that was a mix of Peng and Lian. In fact, their look was also a mix of Peng and Lian, with a tan vest and black undershirt, a purple belt, red pants, and brown feet and hand wraps.

"Sorry master!" Long said. "I was just excited about having the Sacred Onyx Council coming to the Jade Palace today!"

Karasu chuckled. "I understand your enthusiasm, but you should be pacing yourself. Keeping up that form can be a drain on your Chi."

Long nodded, and with a flash of light, they were replaced by Peng and Lian. Karasu had found out during their training that the two held a very unique Chi signature that allowed the two to combine their powers into Long.

"We were just trying to make sure we can master that power," Peng said.

"Oh really? I thought you just wanted to spend time with me?" Lian said teasingly.

"Lian, spare the boy some embarrassment," Shen said, walking up to the group. "Karasu, are you ready for the palace evaluation?"

The raven scoffed. "I don't have to be worried. We've met Chao before, so we know how to conduct ourselves."

"That was as a visit though. This will be with the entire Jade Palace on the line," the peacock stated.

"You're starting to sound like Shifu," Peng remarked.

Shen huffed, turning and going into the palace. The others followed behind him, going to the training hall. When they got there, there was a loud crash and groans from within. Opening the door revealed Po and the Furious Five on the floor, with Shifu berating the panda and Fenghuang looking amused at the situation.

"Po, the Pyramid of Fortitude is a traditional pose, representing stability and unity. It does not spin," Shifu stated.

"Let the boy have his fun, big ears. Improvisation is the key to innovation," Fenghuang said.

"Don't encourage him, Master Owl," Shifu sighed. "The presentation of the Seven Forms must be done in the traditional way. This is important Po; the masters of the Sacred Onyx Council are coming to inspect the Jade Palace. I trained with both Master Chao and Master Junjie under Oogway."

"Wait, so were they a part of the original Furious Five?" Karasu asked.

"No, they trained together before the original five formed," Fenghuang explained. She then smirked. "I get pleasing Chao, but Junjie is a man with no honor and, if I'm being frank, an ass."

"Fenghuang!" Shifu shouted.

" _Okay_ , how about the Tao Go figure out what we're going to do while Shifu and the Five work on their traditional routine thing," Karasu interjected, pushing the owl out of the room.

 **[***]**

Out in the courtyard, Tao Go went to work figuring out their routine, being dubbed "Elemental Finale." The technique went as follows: Fung uses his Earth powers to lift up everyone and toss them into the air, followed by Mei Ling using her Air powers to shoot the birds up higher. Fenghuang them created ice shards that Shen melted with his Fire powers, ending with Karasu summoning lightning between the water to create the image of the Yin Yang symbol in the air.

As all of them landed, Peng and Lian gave applause, as well as an orange lizard and a fox standing at the palace gates.

"A very exciting display. That is what I would expect from the masters of the Jade Palace," said the lizard.

"Master Chao," Shen greeted, giving a bow with the other following suit.

"Chao, I believe we can already draw a verdict on the palace," Junjie said. "Shifu and the others will be expelled at once."

"WHAT!?" everyone exclaimed, with Karasu looking like he had just been shot.

"Obviously if Shifu is harboring a fugitive like Fenghuang then he is not fit to be the headmaster of the Jade Palace," the fox said with a sly grin. "And seeing as the only other masters qualified to run the palace are you and I, it will fall to me to take over."

As the others started to panic (though Fenghuang was oddly calm) as their fears were realized. They would have to leave the palace, their groups may even have to be torn apart, and with no one to protect China, then-

"AHEM!" Chao coughed, gathering everyone's attention. "Now Junjie, let's not be rash. Fenghuang will not jeopardize the current Jade Palace staff."

"Wait, what!?" the fox exclaimed.

"While it is true that Fenghuang _was_ considered a rouge, Oogway sent all of the Kung Fu Councils a letter detailing her reform. Which you would have seen almost a year ago if you bothered to read his letters," Chao said.

Fenghuang sniggered, with the others starting to loosen up as well. Tao Go quickly realized that while Junjie may have ulterior motives, he was relatively harmless as long as they kept cool.

"But…but Master Chao, she's still a criminal!" Junjie whined.

"With Oogway's blessing," Chao insisted. "If Master Owl is such a problem for you, then why don't we make a match out of this?"

Fenghuang immediately steps forward. "Oh yes, bring it on foxy boy. Let us see who is truly the master."

"Is she… flirting with Junjie?" Viper asked Shen and Karasu in confusion.

"She flirts with everyone," they replied deadpan.

 **[***]**

 _"There are some universes different from our own. Some are simple: genders swap, places switch, and mistakes are corrected. However, not every universe has a happy ending. Witness the rise of the Qizong Zui."_

Laohu was alone. All of her life had been in this _damned_ orphanage, seen as a monster and never let free. No one wanted her, and she needed no one.

All was about to change, however, as tonight was the night that Tai Lung went on his rampage through the Valley of Peace, with one of his fights ending with Laohu's room being torn open. When the snow leopard looked down as the quivering tiger, he saw something in her that he saw in himself: rage.

"Come with me, young one," Tai Lung said, grabbing Laohu. "We have some work to do."

Tai Lung vanished from the Valley of Peace after that, going to a secluded place that even Oogway wouldn't be able to find him. He took Laohu and trained her relentlessly, even harder that Shifu ever would. When she bled, she worked harder until she felt nothing from pain. Her whole life became combat and only combat, victory at any cost.

And when she was old enough, Tai Lung let Laohu loose on the ones that had scorned him all those years ago. With her absence, it was Mei Ling that replaced her on the Furious Five, but they stood no chance against the ferocity, the **Wrath** of Laohu. She showed no mercy and killed them all, including Po and Shifu.

"Good, my student," Tai Lung said, grabbing the Dragon Scroll. Before he could open it, however, Laohu thrust a claw into his chest, taking his heart. "Wha…wha…why?" he muttered before falling to the ground dead.

"You created me to be your weapon, but I have surpassed even you," Laohu said, taking the scroll and burning it. "I have become a Living Weapon, and as my only purpose is to fight the strongest and win."

With the greatest heroes dead, Laohu was unopposed in defeating each and every Kung Fu Master. After killing every hero in her world, that is when Shen, the evil Shen, summoned her as part of his group and his plan to conquer China…

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Before the usual author's note, I want to explain he chapter flow of this season. For the first seven chapters, we will get a scene with Karasu and friends as well as the backstory of each of the seven villains. After all of the backstories have been given, the stories will merge and the plot will truly kick in. That doesn't mean this first part is filler, as it will have ramifications for later.**

 **Anyway, the backstories for the villains take inspiration from the currently running DC comics event Dark Knights Metal, where each of the villains is an evil version of Batman with the power of one of the Justice League. In this case, each is an evil version of the Furious Five.**

 **Also, the first part takes some inspiration from Legends of Awesomeness, specifically from the episode with Junjie. Of course, with Tao Go here, his plans have been quickly derailed. Who's ready to his butt get kicked by Fenghuang!?**


	25. Season 2 Episode 2

Despite the fight being between two of China's greatest masters, it was really a curb stomp fight in Fenghuang's favor.

"Ready? Begin!" Master Chao announced.

Junjie started by running at Fenghuang for an attack, only to trip when the owl used her Ice powers to freeze his feet. Hitting the ground, the fox couldn't react when Fenghuang kicked him up and into the palace wall, ending the fight.

"Ugh, again!" Junjie demanded, getting up on his feet and taking his stance.

"That's 1-0 Fenghuang," Chao stated. "Round two. Opponent's ready? Fight!"

Like before, Junjie ran in to attack, but Fenghuang decided to have some fun with this round. First, she let Junjie get in a strike, before grabbing his hand and flipping him over, using her Ice to freeze him solid, then sliding the cube out of the arena. Shen then thawed the fox out, Junjie growling and shaking the water off of his fur.

"A-a-again!" Junjie stuttered, shivering slightly from the cold.

"Are you _sure_?" Fenghuang teased, preening her wing in a casual manner.

"Round Three it is then," Chao muttered.

Fenghuang didn't even let this battle last too long, going in to attack herself and instantly knocking Junjie out of the arena again.

"I think we can all tell who the winner is," Chao said.

"As if there was any doubt," Mai Ling stated with a slight laugh.

"Now then, Junjie, I believe that we can give our verdict on the Jade Palace," Chao stated.

Junjie just groaned, not getting up from his position on the ground.

 **[***]**

That night, Masters Chao and Junjie were offered a place to stay for the night at the Jade Palace. The Tao Go and Furious Five took the night off to go into town and celebrate with Mr. Ping's noodles.

"Tonight, we celebrate our passing of the Jade Palace assessment, _and_ the anniversary of Shen and I coming to the Valley of Peace," Karasu announced. Everyone cheered and took a sip of their soup. "Now then, let each of us give thanks for a year of peace."

"You mean besides Tai Lung, the dimensional villains, and other random crimes," Shen deadpanned.

"Like I said, total peace!" the raven affirmed, though it was obvious he realized the flaw in his statement. He then held up his cup of drink. "To friends and allies, students and teachers."

Shen held up his cup next. "To redefining fate, and friends that will be by your side."

Mei Ling pulled Crane close, giving the bird on a peck on the cheek. "To rekindling relationships into something stronger than before."

Fung was next. "To having a second chance, and people to stand by you in hard times."

"To my students, who push themselves and even me to do our best," Fenghuang said.

"To our team," Tigress stated simply.

"To everyone who believes in us, from friends to family, and those that do their best to help others," Viper stated.

"Uh… the same thing Mei Ling said," Crane stuttered, getting another kiss from the mountain cat.

"To this awesome food," Mantis stated, slurping up the noodles greedily.

Monkey finished his food, then held up his cup. "To not having to train tomorrow!" the simian exclaimed, only to get a light punch from Tigress.

Everyone laughed, clinking their cups and taking a drink. The good mood wouldn't last long, though, as some rhino guards came into the shop.

"Oh, hello!" Mr. Ping greeted. "Welcome to my noodle shop! Can I get you anything?"

"We're here for Fenghuang," the lead guard said.

The owl stood up hearing her name. "What is it you want with me?"

The guard pulled out a scroll. "Master Fenghuang of the Jade Palace, by the order of the Emperor of China, you are hereby sentenced to incarceration in Chor-Gom Prison for the murder of the King and Queen of Gongmen City."

"WHAT!?" everyone exclaimed, both Shen and Karasu spitting their drinks out in surprise.

Shen immediately jumped up in front of the guards. "Are you saying that my parents have been killed?" he questioned.

"Yes, Lord Shen, and it is time for you to take over as the head of the city. It is your birthright," the rhino stated.

"Well, as Lord of Gongmen, I order you to stand down," the peacock demanded. "Fenghuang has been nowhere near Gongmen City, and I don't see any proof of the murder."

"You have no jurisdiction in the Valley of Peace," the guard said.

"Then we'll fight you," Karasu stated, drawing his sword as the rest of the Tao Go went to defend their friend.

"Stand down," Fenghuang commanded, stepping in front of everyone. She held her wings out to the guards and bowed her head. "I surrender."

"Fenghuang, you can't!" Karasu exclaimed, pulling at her wing.

"My student, this is what's best. I cannot jeopardize you or any of the others, and I willingly give myself up just to prove that I am innocent." The owl took the raven's face in her wings. "Be good and find the truth."

Mei Ling had to hold Karasu back as the guards took Fenghuang away, the raven crying out and trying to break free to stop them.

"GIVE HER BACK! Giver her back! Give her back…" Karasu cried, pulling into Mei Ling's arms and crying.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late," Po said, coming up to join them. "I had to finish cleaning up my- what's going on?"

 **[***]**

 _"There are some universes different from our own. Some are simple: genders swap, places switch, and mistakes are corrected. However, not every universe has a happy ending. Witness the rise of the Qizong Zui."_

The world was ending for Guan. After everything that the Furious Five had been through, this enemy was the worst they had faced. The demon Ke Pa had somehow taken the powers of Kai, giving him phenomenal powers to easily take out most of the Kung Fu masters. Guan had gone to Lee Da to help protect it.

"Guan, thank the gods you're here," Min Ling stated, greeting his friend as she arrived.

"I'm just here to make sure you're alright," Guan said, looking out to see the oncoming storm.

"Where are the other Furious Five members?" the mountain cat asked.

"Fighting that thing," Guan explained, pointing towards the storm. "Do you still have that orb?"

"Yeah, it's inside," Min Ling stated. The mountain cat went inside and grabbed a black orb that seemed to crackle with electricity. "The Orb of Storms, said to contain the power of a God and able to seal away demons." As Guan took it, Min grabbed her wing. "Promise me you won't use this unless absolutely necessary."

"I will," Guan said.

The crane took the orb into the eye of the storm, where the demon Ke Pa had already defeated the rest of the Furious Five. Guan took her last stand, using all of her skills in a desperate attempt to win, but it wasn't enough.

 **"Peh, pathetic,"** said the demon. " **I thought the Furious Five would put up more of a challenge. Luckily for you, I need a new host body, and a female body might be interesting."**

Guan coughed up blood and stared up defiantly at Ke Pa. "Do your worst."

As Ke Pa came down to possess Guan, she pulled out the Orb of Storms and shoved it straight into the demon's mouth. There was an explosion of energy, and the storm dissipated, leaving China safe once again. The rest of the Furious Five recovered, looking up to see Guan in a storm garb, electricity surging around her.

"Guan, you did it!" Viper said, slithering up to congratulate his friend.

 _"Stay back,"_ Guan warned, her voice seeming to fluctuate between hers and Ke Pa's. _"The price of the Orb of Storms is that you need to seal the demon in something, and the only thing left was myself."_

"So, what do we do now?" Mantis asked her team.

 _"You must use the orb to send me to a world where I won't be able to hurt anyone else when Ke Pa takes over,"_ Guan said.

"No, I won't sacrifice one of my own teammates," Tiger said.

"Yeah, you're our friend girl!" said Monkey to her fellow master.  
"If that is what Guan wants, then we should do it," Min Ling said, walking up to the group. He picked up the orb and held it close to the crane. "I love you," he whispered in her ear.

 **"I know,"** Guan said, Ke Pa fully taking over as she was banished from their dimension.

As the Furious Five and Min Ling mourned the loss of their friend, Guan was not done with her journey, as a certain peacock used his powers to redirect her banishment to himself.

"Hello Guan. It's time you meet the others."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Well this is bad. The King and Queen are dead, Fenghuang has been arrested, and the team has had two major shocks after a victory.**

 **I wanted at least one of the villains to have a tragic reason for being evil, and since Crane is my favorite I had to make it him. Also, Guan's universe is a gender swap universe, FYI. Do you think she should be saved from possession?**

 **Next time on "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang": Tao Go split up to face the new threat.**


	26. Season 2 Episode 3

**AN: to those worried about Shen and Fenghuang, remember that to reach the light you must journey through darkness.**

* * *

In the morning, Tao Go Found Karasu sitting at the palace gates, not having moved or slept the whole night.

"Karasu, we _will_ find a way to prove Fenghuang's innocence," Shen said, placing a wing on his friend's shoulder.

"I already have one," the raven replied, "but I don't think you'll like it."

"I'll gather the others so you can tell us," the peacock said.

Soon Tao Go, the Furious Five, Peng, Lian, and Po were gathered in the barracks to discuss the raven's plan.

"We need to figure out who did this, but to do so we must split into two teams," Karasu explained. "Shen, you should go with Po and the Furious Five to Gongmen. Your city needs you and whoever killed your parents must have been able to get close to them without alerting the Kung Fu Council."

"And what will you do?" Mei Ling asked.

"Mei Ling, you and I will be heading to Chor-Gom to stage a little… prison break," the ninja said.

"What? You cannot be serious," Tigress objected.

"I don't care if I get branded a traitor, I just want Fenghuang back," Karasu stated firmly. "Besides, since Shen is the ruler of Gongmen now, he should be able to grant me amnesty."

"I don't like it, but if that is what you want to do, then I won't stop you," Shen said.

"Alright! Time to save China again!" Po exclaimed.

"Keep it down!" Karasu chided.

 **[***]**

With the plans set in motion, the two teams went out to do their tasks, though Karasu had forgotten to factor Fung into his plans. The Crocodile decided to just follow the rest since the cold of the mountains wouldn't suit his cold-blooded nature, leaving Shifu and the Onyx Council at the Jade Palace.

"So, do I get to take over now?" Junjie asked Chao.

"Actually, yes you can," Shifu replied, surprising the two. "I think taking some time off while my students deal with the current problem will be best for me, to maintain my inner peace. Just make sure that you take care of the children while I'm away."

As Shifu left, Junjie turned to the palace goose Zan for answers. "Children, what Children?"

"Oh yes! Master Shifu was summoned to the Imperial City to train the Emperor's son and his friends. The Emperor was very insistent on having the Master of the Jade Palace do the honors, or at Least the Dragon Warrior."

As the fox groaned at being duped into training children by his rival, Chao let out a chuckle. "Maybe this training will help you earn a since of humility and respect, Junjie."

 **[***]**

In the frozen mountains outside Chor-Gom, Karasu, Mei Ling, Peng, and Lian had arrived, ready to break Fenghuang out of prison.

"So what's the plan?" Peng asked.

"First, you two should form Long. They'll be more helpful in this situation. Secondly, we'll need someone to distract the guards, but I'm honestly drawing a blank at the moment," Karasu replied.

"Maybe I can help," came a voice from nearby.

Karasu drew his sword, brining it the throat of a young wolf carrying a war hammer.

"You! How dare you show your face to me, betrayer of the Royal Peacocks," Karasu said to Wolf Boss.

"Woah-woah-woah. You got the wrong idea about who I am," Wolf Boss said. "Okay, I am _technically_ Wolf Boss, but not the one you know."

As the ninja looked over the wolf, he noticed that this Wolf Boss was notably younger, had a less mangy look to him, and wasn't missing an eye.

"Are you from another world?" Karasu asked, sheathing his sword.

"Yes, and I was sent here to help you fight this new evil," Wolf Boss said. "But first, let's get introductions out of the way. I'm called Xing, and in my world, none of the villains happened. Tai Lung stayed faithful to Shifu and became a surrogate brother to Tigress, Shen never murdered the pandas and became a good and just ruler, and- Wait, have you faced a guy that takes other people's Chi and turns them into zombies?"

"Wait, what?" Peng asked.

"Okay, this world has not passed the Third Movie yet," Xing muttered to himself.

"Hey, the fourth wall is a delicate thing, don't use it willy-nilly," Karasu said.

 _"Anyway_ , long story short, I've been chasing an evil- and I mean super evil- version of Shen and trying to stop him from doing… whatever his evil plan is," Xing said.

"What's the fourth wall?" Lian asked.

"Think of it like a stage play, where we're the actors and there are being out there that watch us," Karasu explained.

"Oh, so like the gods," Mei Ling said.

"… sure, let's go with that," Karasu replied. "Anyway, Xing, you said there was an evil Shen running around? Well, that explains who's the most likely person to have killed our Shen's- okay, we need to figure out what to call the evil Shen."

"How about you let me finish explaining first," Xing deadpanned. He sighed. "Long story short, I'm here to help you with whatever you need me to do."

Everyone nodded, with Karasu getting a thoughtful look on his face. "We need a distraction, right? So, what's more distracting than turning in one of the most wanted criminals in all of China."

Xing's ears went down. "This is not going to be fun for me, is it?"

 **[***]**

Over with the rest of the heroes, Gongmen City was on the horizon, and it had gone under a radical shift from when Shen had last been there. The sky seemed tarnished with smoke from the factories, the blue being replaced by a blood red as wolves moved through the city.

"Wolf Boss," Shen growled, making the others back away from him. "I should have known. If anyone wanted to ruin my life, it would be him."

"Who's Wolf Boss?" Po asked.

"He's the one that burned down your village and tried to kill your mother," Shen replied.

As this discussion went on, Tigress noticed something in the distance. "MOVE!" she yelled, with everyone complying as a flaming ball of metal crashed into where they had been standing.

"Impossible, no one should be able to make my cannons," Shen said, running towards the city and dodging more cannon fire.

Everyone else followed him, heading into the city where the cannon fire was replaced by wolf warriors. Being only mercenaries, they were no match for the Kung Fu masters, but it was when they got to the Tower of Sacred Flame's gates that they faced trouble. Specifically, a trio of masters stood in their way.

"No way! It's the Kung Fu Council!" Po fanboyed. "There's Thundering Rhino, Storming Ox, and Master Croc."

"What doesn't he get a cool name?" Fung questioned, folding his arms.

Po walked forward to greet them, only to be blocked by Rhino's Thundering Wind Hammer. "Um, excuse me, Master Thundering Rhino? Me and my friends kind of need to get past, so if you could please move?"

"Oh darling, they aren't yours to command," said a sultry voice. From behind Ox's horns slithered out a snake, which surprised the group for how uncannily he looked like Viper. "They're mine now, curtesy of Lord Shen."

"Um, Shen is right here," Mantis said, pointing to the peacock in question.

"Not him, though I must admit he does have better looks than the other one," the snake said, licking his lips. "But where are my manners? I am Dushe, master of poisons, and the Council are now my play-things thanks to some of my special potions." He slithered over to Rhino as everyone got ready for a fight. "Master Rhino? Be a dear and take them alive. I want more toys to play with, so don't break them."

"Okay everyone, let's focus on getting inside the place," Shen said. "We don't want to hurt the Council, even if they want to hurt me."

 **"Why wait when we can take you there now?"** Guan asked, swooping in from the sky and grabbing Shen, dragging the peacock up to the top of the tower.

"Shen!" Fung cried, only to barely dodge an attack from Master Croc. "Oh, darn it…"

 **[***]**

 _"There are some universes different from our own. Some are simple: genders swap, places switch, and mistakes are corrected. However, not every universe has a happy ending. Witness the rise of the Qizong Zui."_

Dushe grew up knowing that he was different, in more ways than one. First of all, he was born without fangs, which meant he didn't inherit his father's famous poison. Secondly, he enjoyed things that were considered "feminine" and "not proper" for a man to enjoy, such as ribbon dancing and perfumes.

Everything changed when he found out something he truly excelled at: potion making. He found the most potent and deadly plants and mixed many different potions. Of course, he needed someone to test them on, and it just so happened that the local gorilla bandits were terrorizing the town. While the poison did take the gorillas down, it also seemed to have a strange effect on them, making the bandits freeze as if waiting for orders.

"Very good, my son," said Dushe's dad. "You single-handedly defeated the gorilla bandits."

"No, it's not a good job," Dushe replied. "The poison was supposed to kill them, not make them stop attacking."

As if on cue, the gorilla bandits started to tear each other apart, to the shock and horror of the villagers.

"My son, what have you created!" Dushe's dad cried. "You have created something that takes away a person's will, which is strictly forbidden in the codes of Kung Fu."

Dushe turned to his father, anger in his eyes. "I just got rid of those bandits and you berate me? I did this to impress you, and all you can do is be disappointed in me." Looking at the vile of poison, the snake threw it at his father, the glass shattering and coating his father in poison. Dushe then slithered up to him, the elder snake going into a trance-like state. "I wish you would leave me and never come back."

And the elder did just that. Dushe went on his own path after that, seeking out Scorpion to enhance his poison-making skills. With their combined power, the two quickly became a threat to China, though they soon became astringed. While Scorpion just wanted revenge, Dushe wanted to have fun with his victims, making them do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted. Frustrated at this, the snake put Scorpion under his influence and part of his ever-growing harem.

It was these skills that got him noticed by the evil Shen, joining the team on the condition that any person he defeated would be his personal toy to keep.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **The plans are set, now it's time for some pay off. In the next chapter, we'll see Karasu's team infiltrating Chor-Gom while the chapter after that will be Shen meeting his evil counterpart.**

 **Xing is an interesting character. I wanted Wolf Boss as part of the team, but realized that I made him a bit irredeemable in this story. Luckily with the advent of this season focusing on alternate universes, I could just introduce a Wolf Boss that served as a light counterpart to the evil Shen.**

 **Also, if anyone was wondering, in Dushe's universe he is the only one that is gender-swapped, being the counterpart to Viper.**


	27. Season 2 Episode 4

Guan dropped Shen unceremoniously at the top of the Tower of Sacred Flames. As the peacock stood up, he looked around and saw a figure at the other end of the room. Approaching caution and weapon drawn, Shen put his Dao up to the figures throat as he turned around revealing… Shen?

"Oh, so you are this world's version of me," the other Shen said.

"Who are you?" Shen asked.

"I am you, but better, stronger, smarter. I am the pinnacle of any Shen, one that succeeded in his goal," the other Shen explained. "Of course, ruling China got boring, so I started my conquest of other worlds. There was a problem though. Everywhere I went, the other versions of myself were either defeated or dead." The other Shen gained a manic smile on his face and got dangerously close to our Shen's face. "But then I came here and found out that there was another universe when I survived. So tell me, how did you defeat those that tried to destroy you?"

Shen looked at his double, horror on his face as he realized that _this_ is what he would have become if he had lead the charge in slaughtering the pandas. "I never tried to conquer China. In fact, I am now the ruler of Gongmen after you _murdered my parents._ "

"They were just going to hold me back," the other Shen scoffed, dismissive of the act he had committed.

With a battle cry, Shen attacked his double, swinging his Dao to try and chop the other's head off. "YOU BASTARD!" he screamed, the two going back and forth with attacks. While Shen used his family's Phoenix Dao, the other Shen used his original serrated Dao, which seemed to be stained from all of the blood he spilled. When physical attacks didn't work, Shen tried to use his knives, only to be equally countered.

"You will _pay_ for what you've done!" Shen shouted, flaring up his Chi into his Burning Shen form. The peacock gave off a blast of fire, singing his double's tail feathers and increasing the pace of the battle. Even after all of that, though, the other Shen used some kind of darkness to cancel out the fire and leave Shen on the floor, panting and out of breath.

"Pathetic," the other Shen spat. "You think that have friends and family makes you strong. It makes you _weak_. I don't need anyone else in my life, I just need myself. I have my generals to do my bidding, and I even took over your army. That Wolf Boss of yours seemed really eager to join my cause."

Shen tried to speak, but was kicked in the gut and tossed near the edge of the tower.

"What you don't realize is that the world is against you, and eventually everyone will betray you. I know for a fact that half of my generals want to betray me, but I have already put plans into motion in case they try to do so."

With another kick, Shen was teetering on the edge, with a talon to his throat.

"I'll give you this one chance. Join me, and I will let you rule this world when I'm done with it," the other Shen whispered.

"Never. I will defeat you, my friends will defeat you. You cannot win," Shen choked out.

"Oh, and how can you be so certain?" the other Shen asked.

"Because I already have a plan," Shen said. With a flick of his wings, a giant burst of flames hit the other Shen, causing him to let go of Shen. The peacock turned around as he fell down the tower, some of the wolves firing arrows up at him. Shen flared his train to slow his decent, and with another shot of Fire Chi, he rolled onto one of the rooftops and landed safely. He was still exhausted, though, and the last thing he saw before passing out was a figure approaching him.

 **[***]**

Using Xing as a way to get in, Karasu and his group found themselves on a lift down into the depths of Chor-Gom.

"Good job in capturing this guy," the Rhino guard said. "He's been on the run for 30 years for the massacre of the pandas."

"Just doing the right thing," Karasu said, no emotion in his voice.

"Why's Karasu acting so different?" Long whispered to Mei Ling.

"When he wants to get something done, his ninja training kicks in," Mei Ling explained. "When he's like that, you shouldn't get in his way."

As the group came to the level where 'Wolf Boss' would be imprisoned, the guard brought the group to the cell.

"Before you put him away, I would like a few words with him," Karasu said.

The guard nodded and gave the wolf over to Karasu, whom wasted no time in cutting the chains off of Xing and sending a lightning bolt into the guard, knocking him out.

"We're in, let's go," Karasu said.

As the group went in, it wasn't long before the other guards were alerted to their break-in.

 **(Cue "Beat It" by Fall Out Boy)**

"Come on men! It's three of them versus all of us. There's no escape!" the captain shouted.

"But didn't Tai Lung escape here alone?" questioned one of the guards.

"Shut up," the captain seethed.

 **They told him "Don't you ever come around here**

 **Don't wanna see your face, you better disappear**

As the song truly starts, Karasu starts by easily taking out a few guards with pressure point strikes.

 **The fire's in their eyes and their words are really clear**

 **So beat it, just beat it**

Mei Ling gets in on the fight as well, using her staff and Air Chi to dispatch the guards' weapons.

 **You better run, you better do what you can**

 **Don't wanna see no blood, don't be a macho man**

 **You wanna be tough, better do what you can**

 **So beat it**

Long uses their combined skills to fight of the Rhinos, but it's clear that they're struggling from the lack of experience.

 **but you wanna be bad**

 **Just beat it (beat it), beat it**

 **No one wants to be defeated**

The chorus starts as Karasu continues down the corridor, using his blade sparingly as to not hurt the guards. It was clear that even though he wanted to save Fenghuang, he didn't want to kill anyone.

 **Showin' how funky and strong is your fight**

 **It doesn't matter who's wrong or right**

 **Just beat it (beat it)**

 **Just beat it (beat it)**

 **Just beat it (beat it)**

 **Just beat it (beat it)**

Mei Ling and Long catch up the Karasu, seeing all of the guards he's taking down by himself.

"Uh, sir, that raven has taken out almost half of our guards," one of the guards said.

"Grr, get the elites down there to stop him!" the captain ordered.

 **They're out to get you, better leave while you can**

 **Don't wanna be a boy, you wanna be a man**

 **You wanna stay alive, better do what you can**

 **So beat it, just beat it**

On the second verse, the elites come down to face Karasu, covered in armor and carrying massive war hammers. Using his speed, the ninja jumps over the guards and cuts off the ties on their armor, making it fall to the ground.

 **You have to show them that you're really not scared**

 **You're playin' with your life, this ain't no truth or dare**

Long steps up to face the guards, but is intimidated by their size. They narrowly avoid the hammers, and jump up to punch one in the face, knocking the guard back a little.

 **They'll kick you, then they beat you**

 **Then they'll tell you it's fair**

 **So beat it**

Mei Ling goes over the other guard and trips him over, throwing wind at the other to make his hammer land on his head.

"Sorry!" the mountain cat said, running off to catch up with Karasu.

 **but you wanna be bad**

 **Just beat it (beat it), beat it**

 **No one wants to be defeated**

Long catches up with Karasu as the raven faces another armored guard. Thinking fast, Long split up into Peng and Lian, the two snow leopards delivering a hit to either side of the guard's face to knock him out.

 **Showin' how funky and strong is your fight**

 **It doesn't matter who's wrong or right**

 **Just beat it (beat it)**

 **Just beat it (beat it)**

 **Just beat it (beat it)**

 **Just beat it (beat it)**

Karasu gives the two a thumbs' up as the group continues back to the main room with the elevator. Getting on a lift, the raven jams his sword into the controls and shoots them up to where Fenghuang is being temporarily held until they get her cell made.

"Sir, they're heading up towards us," the guard said nervously.

"Stop telling me things I already know!" the captain shouted. "Archers! At the ready!"

The instrumental kicks in as Karasu notices the archers on the sides near the top. "Use your claws to hang on the bottom of the platform," he instructed the cats. "I'll take care of these guys."

"Just be careful, master," Peng warned as the three of them got on the bottom of the lift.

Karasu nodded and prepared himself for what was about to happen. He jumped up just as the archers rained down arrows on him.

 **Beat it, beat it**

The world seemed to go is slow motion as the first arrow came towards him. With little effort, the ninja put a foot on the arrow shaft and started _climbing the arrows like stepping stones._

 **No one wants to be defeated**

 **Showin' how funky and strong is your fight**

 **It doesn't matter who's wrong or right**

Time resumed normal speed as Karasu got up to where the archers were, using his ninja stars to disarm them of their bows.

 **Just beat it (beat it), beat it**

 **No one wants to be defeated**

 **Showin' how funky and strong is your fight**

 **It doesn't matter who's wrong or right**

Karasu landed on the bridge as guards came towards him. Wanting to challenge himself, the raven put away his weapons and charged forward, lightning crackling between his feathers as he used Lightning Chi Nerve Strikes to knock out the guards.

 **Just beat it (beat it), beat it**

 **No one wants to be defeated**

 **Showin' how funky and strong is your fight**

 **It doesn't matter who's wrong or right**

"I'll take care of this," the captain said, taking out his own bow to fire at the ninja. Unfortunately for him, Karasu saw this coming and fired his own arrow in return, the raven's arrow knocking the other arrow away as it landed just shy of the captain's head.

 **Just beat it (beat it)**

 **Just beat it (beat it)**

 **Just beat it (beat it)**

 **Just beat it (beat it)**

 **Just beat it**

 **Just beat it**

 **Just beat it**

 **Just beat it**

The song winds down as the lift makes it to the top, allowing Mei Ling, Peng, and Lian to get off. Karasu finished off the last guard as he makes his way to the captain, his movement's in sync with each "beat it."

 **Beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it, beat it**

"Alright, show me the way to Fenghuang," Karasu ordered, holding his blade to the captain's throat.

"Guys… wait up…" Xing panted, joining the group. "You forgot about me down there. It's really hard for me to fight without my hammer."

As Karasu continued to press the guard, a stern voice interrupted him. The heroes turned to see Shifu standing there, with an equally cross Fenghuang by his side.

"My student, what's going on here?" the owl asked.

 **[***]**

 _"There are some universes different from our own. Some are simple: genders swap, places switch, and mistakes are corrected. However, not every universe has a happy ending. Witness the rise of the Qizong Zui."_

He failed, and that was the only thing on the mind of the one known as Tang. Through the use of some sort of plant, Fenghuang had been able to manipulate time to take out Shifu and the rest of the Furious Five. The mantis had managed to get one of the fruit to travel back himself, but each time he tried ended with his friends dying or worse. He just needed to move _faster._

It was then that something happened. Tang had used the fruit so much that their time energy seemed to linger with him, making him able to bend time and make it move slower around him. The only downside was that each time he tried to change anything, time would snap back in place like a rubber band, and he was back at the beginning of that _damned_ day.

Eventually it seemed that he had been stuck on that day for years, centuries even. Tang forgot what he was doing this for, only that he was trying to save someone. It was in this delirious state the other, evil Shen found him. Offering to break his never-ending loop, Shen let Tang be one of his generals, his speed being unmatched and easily taking down even the largest foes.

He was untouchable, and that was how Shen wanted him. Tang fell right into his wings, believing the peacock's lie that anyone he killed would just be brought back to life when the timeline reset. Shen couldn't stop the loop the mantis was in, instead turning one of China's greatest heroes into a villain.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Didn't expect a song in the middle of the season, did you? Karasu may be in hot water with his teacher, however.**

 **Tang is the evil version of Mantis, though he's not really evil, more so being manipulated. What puts him over the line of villainy is that the evil Shen has convinced him to join his side with false promises.**

 **Also, Shen has met his double, and seems to have a plan to defeat him. I wonder what that is. Hopefully our hero can keep his anger in check to defeat this villain.**


	28. Season 2 Episode 5

**AN: Hey guys! A quick update before we start the new chapter today.**

 **First, I got a job recently, so don't be surprised if chapters become staggered between releases. Until winter break (which for me starts December 15** **th** **) I'll have to prioritize getting ready for finals and having a job. I'm not giving up, though, so this story and others will go on!**

 **Second, I have a poll on my page asking which of the Tao Go members is your favorite. Go vote so I can see which characters your enjoying and which should get more love!**

 **Now, with those announcements out of the way, on with the story!**

* * *

"I am very disappointed in you, my student," Fenghuang chided as the group walked out of Chor-Gom. "You openly assaulted guards in an attempt to rescue me. While it is admirable that you would go that far for me, I expected you to be more diplomatic like Shifu here instead of going straight into combat."

"I'm sorry Fenghuang," Karasu appoligized. "My mind was just focused on your safety over everything else. Heck, I haven't slept since they took you."

"And there's the Karasu I know: the one who sacrifices his own needs for those he cares about," the owl said. She picked up Karasu and held him in her wings, sleep finally overtaking him from all of the exertion over the past two days. "That's right, my black star, save your strength for when we get to Gongmen. Shen will need you at peak condition to face off against this new evil."

As the group descended the mountain, Xing explained the situation to Shifu and Fenghuang. By the time they were halfway to Gongmen, Karasu was fully rested and ready to help out.

"Hey Karasu, I have to ask you something," Peng asked. "Are you and Fenghuang a thing?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that, kid," Karasu replied. "She's in the middle of a competition between Shen and I for which one she'll choose."

"It wasn't always like that, though," Fenghuang commented. "Don't you have a prophecy for your love life?"

"I thought prophecies were just a guideline, not concrete," Lian said confused.

"In Japan, our prophecies are more vague, used more as a guideline. The destination might be the same, but you don't realize that it happened until you look back on it." The raven laughed a bit. "According to the prophecy, I'm supposed to become bonded with a phoenix. At first, I thought it meant Shen, since he's the Phoenix of Yin."

"Didn't you guys go on a date once?" Fenghuang asked with a smirk.

Karasu blushed. "To be fair, I was using my female form, but definitely not my best moment. Anyway, I soon realized after meeting Fenghuang that the prophecy actually referred to her. Her name does translate to 'Phoenix" after all."

"Oh," Lian said. "But it's still her choice, right?"

"I always have a choice. _Always,_ " the owl stated.

 **[***]**

Shen awoke with a groan, rubbing his head as he sat up on his mat.

"Be still, my son. You took a big fall off of the tower," said a clam voice.

"M-mother?" Shen asked, slightly delirious from his injuries.

"No, it is not, my prince," said the voice.

When Shen's world stop spinning, he saw that it was the Soothsayer that saved him.

"Nana!" Shen exclaimed, tears in his eyes as he hugged her. "I thought that… other me had killed you."

Soothsayer smiled and wiped the tears from her prince's eyes. "I managed to get out of the palace before he could find me. I saw your friends going towards the palace, and found you on the streets. I brought you to the old panda village to recover from your injuries."

"I'm not the one that'll need recovering," Shen said. "I'm pretty sure that the other version of me will have a noticeable burn on him from how close he was from my attack."

As the two talked, there was a noise from outside. Shen quickly pulled Soothsayer close as someone came close to where they were. The peacock held his breath as Houzi, the evil version of monkey, stuck his head into the room. He felt the walls and started to move towards the two heroes. He reached for a sword to strike tem down-

"HOUZI!" shouted the other Shen from outside. "We're moving out to the Imperial City. Get out here to help bury these failures."

The monkey turned and left, Shen letting out a sigh of relief as the bad guys moved on. As soon as they left, Shen went outside to figure out what had happened. There he found tracks of multiple cannons and footprints of wolves, as well as three freshly covered holes. The peacock used his Dao to dig the holes up, revealing the bodies of the Kung Fu Council.

"He took them as well!?" Shen screamed, his Chi flaring so brightly that he was like a miniature star.

"SHEN STOP!" Tigress shouted, the rest of her group following behind her.

"I will find the other me and make sure he pays for taking everyone I have ever known," the peacock said in a tone more befitting of his evil version.

"But they're not dead," Viper said. "To defeat them, we had Mantis use his acupressure skills to temporary stop their movements. When they were knocked out it broke the mind control the evil me (man that's weird to say) put them under."

To prove the point, Mantis jumped into the holes, and with a few points, revived the masters.

"Augh!" Thundering Rhino shouted, sitting up. He then saw Shen. "Shen, is that you?"

"Yes master, it's me, the _real_ ruler of Gongmen," Shen said.

"It's good to see friendly faces for once," Storming Ox said.

"I'm sorry for what happened to your parents, my prince," Master Croc said with a bow.

"That doesn't matter now," Shen replied. "What does is bringing this evil's forces to justice."

"And I thought I would have to give a rallying speech," Karasu said, his group coming up to complete the group. "Wait, where is Po?"

Indeed, the Dragon Warrior was nowhere to be seen. It wasn't hard to find him, however, as he seemed to be in a trance with the Soothsayer.

"Po?" Tigress asked, putting a paw on his shoulder.

The panda seemed to snap out of it, looking to his friends. "I… remember. I remember everything!" He then grabbed Shen and pulled him into a hug. "I'm so thankful for what you did. Granted, you already told me this story, but hearing it and remembering it are two totally different things."

"Ack! Still healing a bit, panda," Shen said, struggling to breathe a bit.

As the group calmed down, a new plan had to be made to get into the Imperial City, stop the evil Shen, and protect the royal family. While the Kung Fu Council wanted to help, they needed to go back to Gongmen to help the city recover from its sudden takeover, but promised to come help when they finished. Before anyone could continue with plan-making, a package fell out of a portal and right into Karasu's wings. Taking a scroll off of the top, the raven unfurled it as Fenghuang opened the box.

 _"Dear Karasu, how's it going?"_ the letter said. _"Things have been pretty crazy since that last tournament. All of us in the New Legend had to go on crazy adventures to get stronger. Alena even got to go to your homeland! Only Suya and I are back, but we got you some stuff from our travels. Kick that evil Shen's butt for me! Koji."_

"It seems to be a box of stuff," Fenghuang said.

Within the package was another scroll containing what seemed to be a song, a strange-looking fruit, a kabuki mask, and three sets of dancer outfits.

"It says here that the mask and scroll are from the Samoan Islands, where Koji went," Karasu explained. "The dresses and the fruit are from Suya, with a dress for Mei Ling and Fenghuang as well as one for my female form."

"I think this is a bit small for me," Fenghuang stated, holding up one of the dresses.

"Hm, it seems that the dress shrunk when crossing over between dimensions," the raven stated.

As he continued to read through the scroll about the gifts, Fung took the fruit from the box and ate it whole, the previous battle making him hungry.

"The fruit is from a creature called a Naga -whatever that is- and has certain magical properties when eaten." The raven then turned to the others. "It there's one thing I know, it's that food with magical properties tends to shift whenever it crosses over, so the effects it states here would be _very_ different over here."

Upon hearing that statement, Fung nervously swallowed the already eaten fruit as its effects took over. In a flash of light and a groan of pain, Fung fell over on the floor, his body having changed into a _very_ feminine shape.

"Huh, the scroll says that the fruit only enhances one's physical traits. It seems that in this world it swaps your gender," Karasu stated.

"Can you change me back?" Fung asked, desperately trying to cover his chest.

"The fruit should only hold a temporary effect on you, but you'll have to deal with it for at least a day or two," the raven said. Looking over at the box, a figurative lightbulb went off in his head. "Actually, I think you just gave me an idea on how we can provide a distraction for the others to get into the city…"

 **[***]**

 _"There are some universes different from our own. Some are simple: genders swap, places switch, and mistakes are corrected. However, not every universe has a happy ending. Witness the rise of the Qizong Zui."_

Houzi was a prankster by nature, tricking and pranking others as revenge for his past was his aim. One day, however, the villagers had enough of his pranks, taking the monkey in his sleep and sending him to the local jail. Fate wasn't on his side in prison either, as many of the criminals in there had been previous victims of Houzi, and took pleasure in beating him.

The monkey was beaten so bad that he effectively lost his sight, hearing, and speaking ability, leaving Houzi a shell of his former shelf. It was then that the other, evil Shen came into the picture. Using his dark powers, Shen gave Houzi the ability to see through metallic objects as well as summon swords and other metal weapons.

"Why don't you show those that did this to you how you appreciate them," the other Shen said evilly.

And Houzi did just that, killing all of the prisoners with no mercy. If no one could take a joke, then he would make the world pay for what it did to him. How's _that_ for a joke? Impressed by the monkey's skill, Shen made Houzi a mask to hide his scarred face and named him Shen's most fearsome warrior.

The last of his generals was found, but Shen still had one more goal: find a world where he had survived.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **The gang is all back together, so it's time to take the fight to Imperial City! Next chapter will be a focus on the villains and their plan, so be ready for that.**

 **Houzi is actually based on the saying "Speak no evil, see no evil, hear no evil" because of his injuries. His backstory was originally much,** ** _much_** **darker, but I couldn't bring myself to do something so cruel. What you got here is the abridged version of what happened.**

 **Also, special shout out to TheWhisperingWarrior, TheGreyCoincidence, and Alex the Owl for being the most helpful in making this story happen. Go check all of them out, with a special mention of Alex's "New Legend" series (which previously crossed over with this story and is having its own spin-offs at the moment) and Grey's "The Heist" (which features a version of Karasu in it that'll give you a glimpse as to how he acted before meeting Shen).**


	29. Season 2 Episode 6

In the imperial City, Junjie was tasked with training Lu Kang in the ways of Kung Fu. Unfortunately for the fox, the buffalo was about as dense as Po, being clumsy and having little to no talent in fighting.

"Oops! Sorry teach!" Lu Kang said, knocking over a bucket of water from the stick he was holding to work on balance.

"It's… fine, Lu Kang," Junjie seethed, muttering curses under his breath. While he wanted to hit the prince over the head, he knew that doing so would surely result in being executed or worse.

"Go Lu Kang!" Zan cheered, the young goose watching from the sidelines. "Can I train with him, Mr. Junjie?"

"Zan, I was assigned to train your cousin. I have no time to train you," Junjie said.

At that, the goose started to sniffle, not taking rejection very well.

"Nonononononononono! Don't cry! Please, please, _please_ don't cry," Junjie said, grabbing the goose before he could cry. "You want to train? Then I can train you. Lu Kang, go take a break."

Zan's mood immediately perked up. "Really? You'll train me?"

"Yes little one, I will," Junjie said, though internally he was berating himself for falling for the kid's trick. _'I'm supposed to be the trickster,'_ he berated himself. "Now then, what style do you want to learn?"

"Peacock style!" Zan exclaimed, pulling out the knife Shen had given him. "I want to be like Uncle Shen!"

 _'Shen is his uncle?'_ Junjie thought in confusion. He was taking out of his thoughts when he realized that a four-year-old was carrying around a sharp object. "Uh, sure Zan. But first, can you give me that weapon? We can start you off with a training sword first."

"No!" Zan said, sticking out his tongue at the fox and going back to swinging the knife around (which in his hands was more like a short sword).

"Gods, whatever it is I did wrong, please have mercy on me," Junjie pleaded to himself, knowing that this training would not be pleasant to him.

 **[***]**

Outside the city, the evil Shen and his army arrived at the Imperial City. Wasting no time, Shen ordered the cannons to attack the city while his wolf army stormed the palace.

"Keep the emperor and his family alive. You can dispose of anyone else," Shen ordered Zhou Dan.

"Whatever you say, boss," Zhou said, casually aiming one of the cannons to fire. Zhou Dan is a Komodo Dragon and the reason that this other Shen came to Karasu's world. He had been looking for a general to lead his army and happened across a portal that this Shen had been using. In return for his wolf army and supplies, Zhou would get to rule what was left of this world when Shen left.

As the siege on the Imperial City continued, the other Shen watched as his plan was put into motion flawlessly. The city's guards were no match for his cannons, and those that escaped were taken out by his wolves. The most elite of the palace were defeated by his generals, leaving the gates wide open for Shen to walk into.

"Sir, we've captured the royal family, along with some of the advisors," Laohu informed the peacock.

"Excellent. Bring them to the throne room so that I may see their faces before executing them," Shen said.

The peacock made his way to the throne room, where his generals stood in attendance with the royal family in chains. Lu Kang, Zan, Junjie, the emperor's sister Zu Chunhua, the royal emissary Meng Tao, a servant named Pang Bing, as well as the Emperor himself were all captured.

"At last we meet!" Shen greeted. "How does it feel to be held at the mercy of the greatest conqueror in all of the known worlds?"

The Emperor just scowled, refusing to say anything to this villain.

"Shen?" Zan whispered to himself, not believing that the peacock could be so evil.

"Stop this madness at one, Shen!" Junjie shouted.

"Sorry, the Shen you're thinking of took a tumble off of my tower. Such a shame, really. Even his parents put up more of a fight," the other Shen gloated.

At that statement, Zan started to cry, with Lu Kang and his mother comforting the young goose.

"Now then, how about you all submit and give your loyalty to me?" the peacock said.

Meng Tao and Pang Bing threw themselves at the feet of Shen. "We live only to serve you, Emperor Shen."

"Meng Tao, you traitor!" Lu Kang shouted.

"Hm, I like the sound of that. 'Emperor Shen,'" the peacock mused. His face then hardened. "Unfortunately for you two I don't need any more traitors in my court. Generals? Do with them as you will."

At that statement Dushe rushed forward, wrapping his body around Pang Bing. "Well hello, kitty cat. You're going to fit right in with my other girls."

"Unhand me you serpent!" Pang Bing shouted. "I am one of the most powerful magicians in all of China, I will not-!" The Siamese Cat was cut off when Dushe blew some of his poison into her face, Pang Bing relaxing in the snake's grip as it took effect.

"Now then, let's go somewhere else so I can have some fun," the snake said with a seductive grin.

The other generals shuttered at that statement, knowing that Dushe could be rather 'creative' when having 'fun.'

"Wait, please! I can be of use to you!" Meng Tao pleaded, groveling at Shen's feet.

In response, the peacock kicked the goat over and right at Laohu, whom held the goat in her tight grip.

"Hey Houzi? How about we see which one of us can catch the goat first?" the tigress mused. She and the monkey left the palace, with Meng Tao screaming all the way until his voice was silenced.

"Now then, anyone else have something to say?" Shen asked.

To everyone's surprise, Zan ran forward and tried to hit Shen, only for the peacock to easily pick up the goose and hold him so that he could not hurt anyone. "You're a big meanie, and Uncle Shen's friends will kick your hinny!" the goose shouted, still trying to hit the peacock.

"Oh, you poor naïve one," the other Shen tisked. "I like your spirit, but you're far too weak to do anything. Leave the talking to the adults." His grin suddenly turned manic. "On second thought, I think the former emperor should get a taste of what's to come to him."

The other Shen, still holding the struggling Zan, walked over to the balcony on the palace, where his wolf army waited below in the courtyard.

"My child!" Zu Chunhua shouted, the wolves holding her captive keeping her from going to Zan's aid.

"WHO WANTS GOOSE FOR DINNER!?" Shen shouted to his army.

When his army gave a howl of approval, the peacock threw Zan off the balcony into the crowd below. As the royal family screamed, Shen could only smile sadistically as he turned to his generals.

"Get ready to hold my coordination as emperor. I want to have one last party before the execution of the royal family."

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What the other Shen failed to realize is that he should have made sure that Zan was truly dead. Down in the courtyard, the wolf army lay dazed and confused as the young goose was protected by a barrier of light, which had blown the army back. Zan looked up as the barrier dissipated, the energy twisting and forming into the visage of a bird. It had the head of a pheasant, the body of a duck, the tail of a peacock, the legs of a crane, the beak of a parrot, and the wings of a swallow.

"Hello! Thanks for saving me Mr. Feng!" said Zan.

Feng, aka a male Chinese Phoenix, gave a curt nod to the goose. It then turned and pointed with its head towards the outskirt of the city.

"Can you take me to Uncle Shen?" the goose asked. Feng nodded. "Yay! Let's go!"

And with his new friend, Zan ran off to go get help to save his family.

 **[***]**

Later on that night, the other Shen sat in his new bedroom, looking over the tapestries on the walls and figuring out which ones he wanted to put up in their place.

"Zhou, do you know what makes this world special?" the peacock asked.

"You actually lived in this world?" the Komodo Dragon replied.

"Yes, and it is that fact that leaves me curious," Shen said. The peacock gave a caw to summon his wolves, whom brought in what looked to be the Soothsayer's scrying bowl. With a pluck of one of his loose feathers, Shen dropped it into the bowl, letting the smoke rise up from it. "Show me other versions of myself. Worlds where I survived. Worlds where I rule."

With a twist of the smoke, the other Shen was shown just that. The results, however, where not what he was expecting. There were worlds where he failed, but was taken in by that panda and 'redeemed.' There was one where he lost him memories and was taken in by kind individuals. There was even one where he fought an evil version of himself, just as he did now. The only think Shen was that if he survived, he would turn from the path of darkness to the side of Kung Fu.

"ENOUGH!" he screamed, kicking the bowl away and tearing up one of the tapestries in a rage. As he calmed down, he turned to Zhou. "I truly am alone. My parents never loved me, so I killed them. The pandas were destined to destroy me, so I killed all of them, even that one that seems to be the bane of all the other Shen's existence. I even took care of Soothsayer when she tried to stop me. If I am proof that it can be done, then why aren't their other worlds where _I win?"_

Zhou Dan wisely chose not to answer, instead letting Shen continue. "I understand now that I will forever be alone, but that's fine. I don't need anyone else. But what I do need is information."

With another caw, the wolves brought in Junjie, whom was bond in chains and looking pretty roughed up. "You know about the warriors of this world, don't you, fox? Now then, in all of my travels I have heard that this world's version of me has a companion by his side. Why don't you tell me about him?"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **I want to start with an apology for anyone that thought I killed Zan. It was very mean, but come on, evil Shen needed to do something truly evil to cement his irredeemableness.**

 **Also, RIP Pang Bing and Meng Tao. No one will miss you and it's for the better that we got rid of you now.**

 **The description of Feng is what an actual Chinese Rooster looks like. Fun Fact, "Fenghuang" is the general name for a phoenix in China, but originally the name was split between genders: "Feng" for males and "Huang" for females.**

 **We join the heroes again next chapter as their infiltration of the Imperial City begins.**


	30. Season 2 Episode 7

Nearing the outskirts of the Imperial City, the group of heroes had made a stop in one of the nearby villages to set up for the night before going to confront the other Shen.

"Okay, we seriously need to think of a name for this other Shen," Fung stated. "It's really confusing to call both of them Shen."

"Dujun," Karasu stated, making everyone turn to him. "It means 'Warlord' in Chinese. Very fitting in my opinion."

"Agreed," Shen said.

As the group got set up in an inn, Tao Go went out to go get drinks before the big day. While Karasu didn't drink (an experience back in his village turned him away from alcohol ever again), Fenghuang took pride in showing off how well she could hold a drink, beating out many of the other patrons at the bar.

"Here Fung. This will help with getting use to your new body," Shen said, handing the croc some Sake.

"Do you know a thing about… this?" Fung asked, gesturing to her new body.

"I don't know if you know this, but Karasu is not the only one that knows about gender magic," the peacock explained. "During our travels, he took the form of a woman as part of a date between us. Of course, I didn't know about the prophecy he has at the time, but we had an enjoyable evening none the less."

"So… did you two…?" Fung asked shyly.

"Oh gods above no," Shen scoffed. "If anything, the most that came out of that we bonded more as friends." His face seemed to gain a blush, and it wasn't from the liquor. "Though I must admit, he did have good moves when he was pulled into the local dance festival."

"And _that_ is part of my plan," Karasu said, coming up to the two with Mei Ling and Fenghuang in tow. "Dujun is holding a festival tomorrow for his coordination. We need to provide a distraction so everyone can get into the palace, and it turns out there's been a call for dancers. We'll just take that spot, which will not only provide a distraction but also get us close to Dujun himself."

"But we don't have the proper clothes," Mei Ling said.

"And I can't dance, especially not like _this_ ," Fung wined.

Fenghuang chuckled, before turning it into a full-blown laugh. It seemed that with how much alcohol she had been drinking, the effects were starting to take place. "Lucky for us that I just won a lot of coins, then."

"Wait, don't tell me," Fung said.

"You don't mean," Shen said.

"Shopping time!" the owl shouted, grabbing the others and dragging them out into the town.

 **[***]**

With all of the money Fenghuang had earned, the group was able to pick out the attire. Karasu also remembered that Suya had sent over some dresses, so most of the money could be spent on accessories instead.

Fung took what was supposed to be Fenghaung's dress and got it retrofitted for his body. The croc now had a purple strapless top with matching purple harem pants, as well as gold bracers on her wrists. "It's really revealing, but it feels… nice?" she said with a blush.

Fenghuang got a black dress with blue accents that looked like snowflakes on it. The dress also exposed he back and accentuated her curves.

Mei Ling wore a green sleeveless dress with matching black gloves and slippers. Her scarf wrapped tightly around her waist as a sash, which flowed elegantly as she moved. "Crane will be pleased when he sees me in this," the mountain cat mused.

Karasu, now in his female form, had a dress was in the style of a belly dancer. The main part of the dress was a dark blue top that hugged her chest tightly and exposed her midsection. The only thing around her waist was a purple skirt that was held together by a silver belt and exposed the front of her legs. The dress also extended so that part of it could be held like a robe and twirled around when dancing. She also had silver bracelets on her wrists and tied her hair back into a ponytail with a silver band.

"Uh, wow," Fung said, blushing from how Karasu looked.

"I think you should keep this dress after we're done with this," Fenghuang said with a smirk.

Finally, Shen came out of the dressing room, having used some of Karasu's magic to take a female form himself. The peacock wore a simple white Chinese dress that had a flame pattern that was visible in the light. In fact, the dress was an exact match of the robes Shen originally wore, with the only difference being that the neckline of the dress went down lower to show off a bit of chest.

"You seem oddly calm about being a girl," Fung noted.

"Well, I never said I hadn't been a girl before," Shen said, looking at herself in the mirror. "There was a time that Karasu and I had a bet about who could win in a throwing contest. When I lost, Karasu got to turn me into a woman for a day. He saw it as a joke, but I thought of it more as payback for that date."

"Well, at least we can both admit that we look good like this," Karasu said, doing a spin to show off her dress.

 **[***]**

As the evening drew near, everyone returned to their normal attire and got ready for dinner. In fact, the time had passed for Fung's curse to be broken, returning the croc to his male form. Of course he would have to become a woman again for the plan to work tomorrow, but he seemed to be more at ease with that idea after spending an entire day as one.

Po made everyone noodles for dinner as they all shared one last meal together. Fenghuang, still feeling some effects from the alcohol she had drank earlier that day, was a bit more reserved than usual, actually complementing Shifu before Karasu had to send her off to bed early.

"Hey! What's this kid doing here?" said one of the patrons at the inn.

Sitting on one of the barstools was a young goose, whom seemed to be having an animated conversation with the barkeep. "So then there was this _big_ explosion and all of the wolves when BAM! Then I met this bird that brought me here to see my uncle!"

"Wait, is that…?" Shen started to speak. "ZAN!"

"Uncle Shen!" Zan shouted, jumping off of the barstool and running into the peacock's waiting wings.

"I thought the other me had…" Shen started to say, before pulling the goose tighter.

"You're going to kick his butt, right?" Zan asked.

"Of course," Shen replied, tapping the goose on the beak.

"Zan, how did you get here?" Karasu asked.

"Hey guys, who's this?" Po asked.

"This is Zan, the Emperor's nephew," Karasu whispered.

"The Emperor's nephew!?" the panda exclaimed.

Shen could only face palm as everyone else in the inn turned to face the group, thinking of how much the nephew of Emperor would be worth.

"Great going, Po," Monkey said sarcastically as everyone got ready for a fight.

Karasu stood guard as a boar came charging at him, the ninja dodging and putting a few ninja stars into the pig's back, knocking him over. Shen held Zan close as he sent some flames in the direction of a wolf, catching the fiend's tail on fire and sending him packing.

"Go Uncle Shen!" Zan cheered.

The Furious Five wasted no time in helping out as well. Tigress used her raw strength to throw some of the goons around to the rest of the Five, whom easily dispatched these inexperienced warriors. When some of the larger enemies came at them, the other heroes jumped in to help, with Fung grappling with a rhino and Peng and Lian forming Long to fight on a more even level. Even Shifu got in the action, casually felling goons as he finished his tea.

When all was said and done, the inn had a few less customers and a lot of men that needed to get patched up.

"Woah! So you're Peng and Lian together?" Zan asked Long.

"Um, yeah," the snow leopard replied, splitting back up into Peng and Lian.

"Nice to see you again, Zan," Lian said, giving the goose a hug.

Now then, I think we may need to rethink our plan," Shifu said, gaining everyone's attention. "With the Emperor's nephew here we need someone to stay behind and make sure he remains safe."

"But I want to help! My friend said I could," Zan whined.

"And who is this 'friend' of yours?" Po asked.

In response, Zan pulled out the knife Shen had given him, the blade flashing and revealing Feng from within.

"That… that's one of the Legendary Phoenixes," Shifu said in amazement.

"I thought they were only in stories," Crane said.

"It is but a manifestation of one," Shen said, facing Feng. "When I gave Zan this blade, I infused some of my Chi into it, giving it the duty to protect him in case he needed to defend himself. Though I don't know why it manifested outside of the blade."

"It's his royal blood," Shifu said. "It is said that the royal families of China possess a connection to the spirits and gods. The Chi must have reacted to his blood, thus giving it a physical form."

 _"That is not all I can do,"_ Feng said, surprising everyone.

"Woah, you can talk!?" Po exclaimed.

" _Of course. I am a messenger of the gods,"_ Feng said. _"Now then, let me explain why I am here. When Shen gave young Zan that blade, he made a vow to protect the boy. As such, I was sent to do just that."_ The phoenix spirit then turned to Zan. _"This might tingle a little."_

With a swoop of his wings, Feng flew around Zan in a burst of light. When it faded, the goose was now decked out in a silvery robe with a jade phoenix on the back.

"Woah," the goose whispered in awe.

 _"These robes have an enchantment to protect Zan from harm. The people will need someone to rally behind, and who better than the nephew of the Emperor?"_ As he said this, Feng started to dissipate into light. _"Alas, it is time for me to return to the celestial plane. Good luck, warriors of China, and may the gods be on your side."_

As Feng returned to the realm of the gods, everyone decided that it was time to get some rest. The siege on the Imperial City would start tomorrow.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **It's time for us to get into the big fight for China!**

 **The dresses the Tao Go wear are references to various things, though the two of note are Fung's, which is based off of Shantae, and Karasu's, which is based off of one of the dancers from the Just Dance series.**

 **Who will face whom in the battles to come? Will the evil Shen be stopped in time? Will Zan ever stop being the most adorable cinnamon roll? Find out next time on "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang!"**


	31. Season 2 Episode 8

That night, as everyone slept, Karasu decided to contact his mother so that they could sing their song. The raven knew that tomorrow would be a big day, so he would need to be as calm as possible. It was during this session, though, that he felt something inside of him, like a punch to the gut.

"My son, what is wrong?" Hikari asked.

"I feel…I feel as if someone close to me has died," Karasu said. He looked to his mother. "I think something may have happened to Koji in the other world." He sighed. "I wish that I could go see what is wrong, but defeating Dujun is of a greater importance at the moment."

"I will see if anyone in the spirit world can help find the answer to your question," Hikari said, dissipating back into the spirit world.

With that, Karasu went to sleep, his dreams formless and vague, only to end the way they had for weeks now: with Shen dead by his hands.

 **[***]**

The next morning, everyone was prepared with a breakfast made by Po to go and storm the Imperial City. Tao Go put on their dancer attire and headed into the city, the Furious Five went to go disable the cannons posted around the city, and Shifu, Po, Zan, Peng, and Lian went to go sneak into the palace proper.

Dujun's party was in full swing when the Tao Go arrived, with various foods and other officials from around China there, though no one seemed to be in a good mood.

"People of China!" Dujun announced from his throne. "I am happy to tell you that I, Emperor Shen, have become the one true ruler of your country. As such, my men will be disposing of the old royal family soon."

As he said this, the royal family was brought out in chains, with Wolf Boss holding his hammer in preparation to smash some heads in. Zhou Dan was also there, wielding an Arabian sword (like the ones in Aladdin). Curiously, the rest of Dujun's general were nowhere to be seen.

"Hail, Emperor Shen!" said Xing, currently playing the role of the manager of the dancers. "I have traveled from the southern reaches of China to meet the new emperor. My girls come all the way from the lands of Arabia to the mountains of India. May I introduce to you, the lovely Wudao Wu!" **(translates to "Dancing Five")**

With that, each of the Tao Go took their place on the center stage. Fung and Fenghuang stood in the back, with Shen and Mei Ling to the sides and Karasu in the front.

"I'm interested in seeing how these women entertain me," Dujun said.

"Oh, I hope they can 'entertain' me in other ways later," Wolf Boss said, eyeing the girls with a lustful gaze.

 **(Cue "Lean On" by Major Lazer & DJ Snake ft. MO)**

The music began as each of the Tao Go took their starting stance.

 **Do you recall, not long ago  
We would walk on the sidewalk**

Each dancer moved in sync, with an arm out to the side and reaching over to the other side of their body like a clock as they took a few steps forward.

 **Innocent, remember?  
All we did was care for each other**

The dancers brought their arms close to themselves as if giving a hug to themselves.

 **But the night was warm  
We were bold and young**

They release their arms outward, bringing one above their head and putting the other on their waist.

 **All around the wind blows  
We would only hold on to let go**

The free arm is moved in a motion imitating wind blowing, with the dancers bringing both hands together before turning inward to face each other.

 **Blow a kiss, fire a gun  
We need someone to lean on  
Blow a kiss, fire a gun  
All we need is somebody to lean on**

As the chorus starts, the choreography is simple: each dancer imitates blowing a kiss, then imitating firing a bow and arrow (since guns weren't really a thing yet), ending with doing a motion that imitated sitting in a chair, arms folded. The chorus then repeated, with the only difference being that the dancers turned to face the audience this time.

As the instrumental started, each Tao Go member got to show off their moves: Fung belly danced, Fenghuang preformed a traditional Chinese dance, Shen preformed an India style dance, Mei Ling performed a dance with her staff, and Karasu performed a provocative Arabian dance.

 **What will we do when we get old?  
Will we walk down the same road?**

The second verse started with the dancers bringing their arms from the sky to the floor, doing a slow turn while doing this.

 **Will you be there by my side?  
Standing strong as the waves roll over**

The dancers held out and arm as if to signify a partner next to them, using the other arm to imitate rolling waves.

 **When the nights are long  
Longing for you to come home**

Dancers raise an arm up imitating the rising of the moon, leaning back and using the other arm as if beckoning someone to come towards them.

 **All around the wind blows  
We would only hold on to let go**

The free arm is moved in a motion imitating wind blowing, with the dancers bringing both hands together before turning inward to face each other.

 **Blow a kiss, fire a gun  
We need someone to lean on  
Blow a kiss, fire a gun  
All we need is somebody to lean on**

The dance of the chorus is the same as before: each dancer imitates blowing a kiss, then imitating firing a bow and arrow (since guns weren't really a thing yet), ending with doing a motion that imitated sitting in a chair, arms folded. The chorus then repeated, with the only difference being that the dancers turned to face the audience this time.

As the music break starts, we cut away from the dancers to see the Furious Five quickly and quietly taking out the cannons around the outskirts of the city. It seems that Dujun was so confident in his victory that he didn't keep enough guards near the cannons. As the Five finished up their task, they headed over to the palace, where Po's group had already infiltrated the palace and stealthily made their way through (though Po couldn't help but try and be extra in his steathiness).

As the bridge starts, Karasu takes center stage, putting her whole body into an alluring dance and using her veil cape to its full effect. All of the men were entranced by her dancing (as well as making a few women jealous), so much so that no one noticed when the rest of heroes gathered around the party, ready to strike.

 **Blow a kiss, fire a gun  
We need someone to lean on  
Blow a kiss, fire a gun  
All we need is somebody to lean on**

The chorus repeats one last time, with each of the dancers doing their own dance as the song ended.

When they took their finishing poses, everyone cheered, enthralled by the performance. The room fell silent, though, when Dujun stood up from his throne, giving a villainous slow clap.

"Good show, a very good show indeed," the peacock said. "However, you must think that I'm stupid if you think I would fail to recognize you, _Tao Go_."

As that statement, Dujun's generals appeared, knocking the Furious Five up on stage with the Tao Go. Shifu's group remained hidden, but had to come out and join the other heroes as the wolf army burst into the party, the guests scattering to get out of there.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted," Karasu said, using his magic to return everyone to their normal forms and attire. "Shen from another world, we are here to defeat you and free the emperor and his family!"

"You must be the Karasu I was told about," Dujun stated. "Well then, if you're so inclined to defeat me, then you'll have to face my generals first." In a flash of darkness, Dujun disappeared and reappeared at the top of the palace. "See you when you're all dead!" he called, laughing evilly as his generals started to close in.

"Shen, Karasu, go teach that warlord what it means to mess with the greatest warriors in China," Fenghuang said. "The rest of us will deal with these guys."

"Po, go with them to free the royal family, and bring Zan with you," Shifu ordered.

"Got it," Po, Zan, Shen, and Karasu replied in unison, heading into the palace proper. The fight for China was about to begin.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **And that's where I'll end you off for today! The next few chapters will be a lot of fights, with the first part being the fights with generals. Which heroes do you want to see fight the generals? Remember you can choose from:**

 **The heroes- Fenghuang, Mei Ling, Fung, Mantis, Tigress, Monkey, Crane, Viper, Peng, Lian**

 **The Generals- Laohu (evil Tigress), Guan (evil Crane), Dushe (evil Viper), Tang (evil Mantis), Houzi (evil Monkey)**

 **Leave a review of what fights you want to see as the battle for China begins!**


	32. Season 2 Episode 9

**AN: Before the fights begin, I want to give a special thanks to The Grey Coincidence and TheWhisperingWarrior for their imput! Love you guys, and on with the chapter!**

* * *

As Karasu, Po, Shen, and Zan ran into the palace, the rest of the heroes stayed back to help fight. The remaining Tao Go brandished their weapons (knives, staff, and axe for Fenghuang, Mei Ling, and Fung respectively), the Furious Five took their Kung Fu stances, Shifu readied Oogway's staff, and Lian and Peng fused into Long.

"Alright, we all just need to buy time for Po and the others," Shifu said. "Remember your training and good luck, my students."

With that, everyone split up into their groups to fight of the evil, twisted versions of the Furious Five: Fenghuang and Tigress faced Laohu, Crane and Mei Ling faced Guan, Viper and Long faced Dushe, Monkey and Fung faced Houzi, and Mantis and Shifu faced Tang.

 _The Battle for the Emperor_

 _Master Mantis and Grandmaster Shifu vs Tang the Untouchable_

"So, this is what I would look like if I was evil," Mantis said. "Honestly I hoped I would look cooler."

"Focus on the fight at hand, Mantis," Shifu said, swiftly dodging Tang's lightning fast hits. "Mantis of another world, I don't know what you did, but I know that this is not the way I taught you to act."

"You are but an error in time," Tang said, using his speed to try and outpace his opponents. "Shen promised to give me the power to correct time, so I have no qualms in taking you out to achieve that goal, master."

"He's delusional, great," Mantis said sarcastically.

The master and student, being the fastest of the Jade Palace masters, were able to barely keep up with Tang, though none of their attacks seemed to connect.

"We need to find a way to slow him down," Shifu stated.

"Give me a minute and I can try to trap him in rock," Mantis said.

Shifu nodded, deciding to show off some new techniques he had learned. Ever since his students started learning Chi, the red panda had been training himself to find his power as well. As Oogway would say, there is never a time to stop learning. Focusing his energy in his staff, Shifu used the weapon to create a barrier of energy around the fight, coating the area in Time energy and slowing Tang down to a crawl.

"Mantis, now!" Shifu ordered.

"On it!" the bug replied. With a stomp that used his entire body, Mantis created a pillar of rock, trapping Tang so that only his head was visible.

"Ngh, let me go!" He cried, trying to break out. As he struggled, the glow of speed energy started to fade from his body, until he was back to a normal mantis. "Let me go! Let me go. Let me go…"

As Tang calmed down, Shifu walked up to this other world version of his student. "Tang, what brought you to be this way."

"Fenghuang. She used some sort of seed to kill all of you. I used one of the seeds myself to go back and try to stop her, but I got stuck repeating the same day over and over again," Tang explained. He sniffled a bit. "Shen said he could break the time loop I'm stuck in, and that everything would be reset when that happened. All of the lives I've taken will be restored, and my world will be saved."

"Dude, Dujun has been playing you," Mantis said. "It's only been your world that's stuck in a time loop, right master?"

Indeed, Mantis. If there was anything going on with time travel, I would know thanks to my connection to the Shuyong Tree would have notified me," Shifu said. Thanks to his training in Time Chi, the red panda had gaining the mystical tree's blessing to use its power.

"What!?" Tang said in shock. "So, all of those people I've killed…"

"It is not too late to repent for your actions," Shifu said. "You have been deceived by a great evil, whom prayed on your vulnerability to make you do his bidding. We will find a way to help you and return your world to normal."

"Did you try getting your friends to help?" Mantis suggested. "Having friends by your side to help out is better than doing it on your own."

Tang didn't respond, but turned to Shifu. "If you help me, I'll do anything to make up for what Shen has forced me to do."

"We'll do our best," Shifu said with a smile.

 _Master Monkey and Fung, Medallion Warrior vs Houzi the Vengeful_

Over with Monkey and Fung, the two heroes were facing off against the evil monkey, the villain using swords and other sharp objects to attack.

"Geez, he can just conjure up any kind of blade," Monkey said, swiftly dodging the blades and using his Metal Chi to deflect the rest.

"Hey! Watch where you deflect those things!" Fung said, almost getting his arm cut off by one of the stray blades.

Houzi continued his attack, with neither hero getting a chance to hit him. Eventually, one of the blades caught on Fung's necklace (the one holding his amulet from Lidong), causing the medallion to go flying off.

"My amulet!" the croc cried, jumping to grab it.

As he did so, three things happened in slow motion: Houzi created a massive blade from the ground, aiming to run Fung through his stomach; Monkey used his Metal Chi to bring the other blades towards him; and Fung grabbed his medallion, involuntarily activating it. When time returned to normal, Fung was in his giant form, with Monkey standing in front of him holding a giant blade to counter Houzi's.

"A bit to close there, Fung," Monkey said, feeling the strain of using his Chi too much.

"Get on my back and we can finish this guy off together," Fung said.

Monkey complied, hopping on the massive croc's back as Fung broke Houzi's blade. The evil monkey tried again to attack, but Fung's enhanced scales made him imperious to the blades. Monkey used Fung as a shield, now being able to get in close to fight head-on. The simian faced his evil doppelganger, using his staff to face Houzi in combat.

"Different me, same fighting style," Monkey said, easily matching Houzi in skill, the only difference being the evil monkey's ruthlessness.

As Fung returned to normal size, he jumped into the fight as well, using his Earth Chi to keep the battlefield unsteady for the villain. Eventually, the two heroes were able to take Houzi down, knocking him to the floor as Monkey pressed his staff to the villain's neck.

"Game's over. We one," Monkey said.

In one last attack, Houzi tried to use his powers to run Monkey's staff through the simian himself. To his surprise, though, nothing happened. How could Monkey's staff be able to deflect metal in it wasn't metal himself.

"You can't control my staff. It's Ironwood, strong as metal but made of wood," Monkey said, charging up his energy as he and Fung used a launching technique, sending Houzi careening into a courtyard's lake.

When he landed in the water, Houzi struggled for a bit, but his metal helmet and gloves made him sink to the bottom. As he went down, the villain struggled before bubbles stopped surfacing.

"Uh, did we just kill that guy?" Fung asked.

"Oops," was all Monkey could say in response.

 _Master Viper and Long, Fusion Warrior vs Dushe, Master of Poisons_

"Oh, I can't wait to add the two of you to my collection," Dushe said, throwing a vial of poison at the two heroes.

"Not a chance," Viper said, using her Wood Chi to create a vine that caught the vial in midair, tossing it aside harmlessly.

"Yeah, I'm not even a girl," Long said defensively.

"Wait, you're not?" Viper asked.

"Well, I don't think I am," Long explained. "I mean, I'm a combination of a boy and a girl, so I guess I'm somewhere in between. I haven't checked to be honest."

"Will you two shut up and SUBIMT!" Dushe yelled, going in to attack head-on.

The fight began for real this time, with both snakes going at each other while Long tried to grab Dushe. The evil snake responded by clamping his jaws down on the leopard's arm, which while not poisoning them, did cause pain and forced Long to back off.

"Hey, that's my friend you just bit!" Viper exclaimed, using her vines to grab onto Dushe's tail to pull him off.

As the evil snake hissed, he readied another poison **(AN: don't ask me where he gets them)** to hit Viper with. "You know, it's funny. I've never thought to try and add another version of myself to my Harem. I think you'll fit right in with the other versions of your friends I have. Got to complete the collection, anyway."

"You're really, really sick," Viper said in disgust.

In response to that, Dushe threw his potion, with Viper again knocking it aside to be caught by Long. As the fight continued, Viper used her smaller frame and speed to out-maneuver Dushe, whom while also a snake was no match for a fully trained Kung Fu master. As Viper came to an end of her attack, she used her vines to wrap Dushe up tight, leaving him defenseless.

"You know, I wonder what will happen if he gets a taste of his own poison," Long said, dousing the snake in his own concoction.

Dushe just laughed. "You don't think I would have planned for that? I am immune to my own poisons, so that was all for naught!" With some wriggling, the evil snake was able to get out of his bindings and pull out another potion. "You can have this world for all I care. The only reason I worked with Shen was to add more women to my collection. There are plenty of either of you out there, so ta-ta!"

With a throw of his potion, Dushe disappeared into a portal back to his own world. What he didn't count for, however, is that by having his mind control potion poured onto him, everyone that was ever under his control was freed from it. So, by the time Dushe got back to his world, he now had a horde of _very_ angry women surrounding hi, and he was all out of potions. This would not end well for him.

"So, did we win?" Long asked, splitting back up into Peng and Lian.

"I think we can call this a victory," Viper stated.

 _Master Crane and Master Mei Ling vs Guan, Goddess of Storms_

"I've got to say, despite her trying to kill us, I think actually look pretty good as a girl," Crane said, narrowly avoiding a bolt of lightning from Guan.

"Maybe after all of this is done we can have Karasu cast some magic on you," Mei Ling suggested, using her Wind Chi to keep up with the birds.

"Yeah, I don't think so," Crane responded.

 **"Both of you will fall to my might,"** Guan said, summoning more lightning to attack the two.

"Mei Ling, maybe we should fight a storm goddess with our own storm," Crane suggested.

"Let's do it!" Mei Ling cheered.

Dropping to the floor, the bird and cat charged up their Water and Air Chi, respectively, which when released created a water spout (a tornado made of water). The attack circled around Guan, whom try as she might couldn't use her powers to dissipate it.

 **"What is this!?"** she demanded.

"This is the power of our teamwork!" Crane shouted, flying up to face his double.

"Even more than that; this is the power of our love!" Mei Ling shouted, coming up next to crane.

"LEE DA DOUBLE TEAM!" the two heroes exclaimed, combining their powers one last time to shoot a powerful blast of energy directly at Guan.

When the attack faded, the excess energy went out into the world, creating rain over of the palace. As the two fell back to earth, the force of their attack had knocked the two unconscious. Just as they were about to hit the ground, a blur of white caught them, safely lowering them to the ground.

"What… just happened?" Crane asked, awaking from the attack.

"Thank you," said a soft, hoarse voice.

As Mei Ling got up, she was surprised to see that it was _Guan_ that had saved them. Guan's appearance had changed drastically, going from wearing blacks and dark blues to having a purple vest with black shorts, the lightning coursing off of her body having all but faded.

"Woah, talk about a wardrobe change," Mei Ling said.

"It was Ke-Pa. In my world, I sacrificed my body to seal him away forever, but Shen found him and forced me to do his bidding," Guan explained. "With the power of your love, you both were able to expel him from my body."

"Oh, well then, you're welcome," Crane said. "But I have to ask: where is Ke-Pa now?"

 **"I'm right here,"** Ke-Pa said, coming up behind the group and going in to possess Guan one more.

In response, Crane jumped in the way, taking the hit as the demon attempted to take over his body.

"CRANE!" Mei Ling cried, running up to her boyfriend as he started to course with energy.

 _"Mei Ling… help me…"_ Crane said, struggling to hold on to his mind.

Mei Ling grabbed Crane's wings, pushing past the lightning to kiss the bird full on the beak. Crane's eyes widened, but submitted to the affection as their powers built up again, this time expelling Ke-Pa and trapping him in an energy bubble.

"Woah, now _that's_ a kiss," Guan said. "I wonder if that would have worked if Min Ling had kissed me that way."

 **"Let me out of here!"** Ke-Pa said, struggling against the bubble.

"Okay, I think that's quite enough," Shifu said, taking the bubble and sending it off to the Spirit World via Oogway's staff. "Now then. Guan, seeing as you have been freed from this demon's control, we will find a way to send you home. That is, once Master Crane and Master Golden Cat stop showing affection."

Upon hearing that, Crane and Mei Ling broke up their kiss, both of them blushing furiously from being called out. Crane laughed nervously as Mei Ling just shyly looked away from the smirking red panda.

 _Master Tigress and Grandmaster Fenghuang vs. Laohu_

As the rain came down, the final battle with the generals was already in full swing, with neither the heroes or the villain backing down.

"If this is what would have happened to me if Shifu had not adopted me, then I hope that other versions of myself fared better than this one," Tigress said, clashing strikes with Laohu.

"Eh, I don't really care how other versions of me are," Fenghuang admitted, switching out with Tigress to continue the fight.

"In my world, you were one of the harder challenges I faced, right behind Oogway himself. Even then, you fell like the rest of them," Laohu said, using her claws to swipe off a good amount of Fenghuang's flight feathers.

"Hey, I kind of need those," the owl wined. "Do you know how long it takes to grow those back?"

"First step in fighting a bird: clip their wings," the evil tiger said, going in to fight even harder.

 _'This is insane. She's arguably even more powerful than anyone else we've faced,'_ Tigress thought.

As she thought that, she noticed that Fenghuang was struggling to keep up with Laohu. The owl tried to use her Ice Chi to slow the villain down, but Laohu just broke through and put a sizable gash down Fenghuang's front.

"Gah!" Fenghuang said, holding her chest as the wound started to bleed.

"This is how I was able to beat all of those warriors," Laohu said, licking her claws of the blood. "By drinking the blood of my enemies, Tai Lung unlocked a potential in me to go into a rage that makes me unstoppable."

As she said that, Laohu's eyes turned to slits, the tiger dropping on all fours as her mind shut off and only an urge to kill remain.

"She's gone savage!" Fenghuang exclaimed.

Tigress stood in-between the owl and Laohu, ready to put her life down to save Fenghuang. As Laohu lunged, Tigress felt a feeling she had only felt once before when Shifu had been injured in the Battle of the Jade Palace. Bringing her hands up, Tigress pulled them towards her chest and then thrusted them at Laohu, the attack making a giant ball of fire that pushed Laohu back.

"AUGH!" Laohu shouted in pain, snapping out of her blood rage and clutching her now burned hands. "What is that?"

Fenghuang stood up, freezing her would over as she stood next to Tigress. "That is Tigress' Sacred Fire Chi, a power that is only usable by those of selfless character to banish evil. Those of ill intent will face the flames and parish."

Laohu growled. "I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED BY A LESSER VERSION OF MYSELF!" she shouted, biting her own arm to return to her blood rage.

Tigress summoned more Chi, her face calm as she let the Sacred Flames cover her body. Fenghuang went into her Freezing form to fight as well, and soon the two were on the attack against the evil tiger. The heroes effortlessly beat the villain down, with their attacks making a dazzling display of fire and ice.

By the time they were done, Laohu was covered head to toe in burns, with her clothes destroyed and shivering from the ice. "This…cannot be…" she said. "I was…supposed to be the strongest…"

"Then you haven't met some the warriors I have," Fenghuang said, thinking of a certain multiverse tournament her students participated in.

With a final attack, Tigress and Fenghuang combined their power into a Sacred Fire Ice Blitz, both elements combining to simultaneously freeze and burn Laohu. When the dust settled, the only thing left of the villain was a spirit wisp that faded out completely.

"Fenghuang, Tigress!" Viper said, the rest of heroes coming towards them.

"Oh, Viper, great. Can you deal with this wound?" Fenghuang said casually before the blood loss got to her.

"I got you," Tigress said, setting the owl down as Viper worked her Healing Chi on Fenghuang.

"Good job, my students. Now we can focus on helping the people," Shifu said. "The rest of the fight is up to Karasu and the others."

"I've already started on that," Xing said, coming up to the group. "Sorry I missed the fight, but someone needed to get everyone out of the palace safely."

"Good work on that," Shifu said. "Let us hope that by the end of the day, Dujun will be defeated once and for all."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **So, how were the fights? Did you expect any of the villains to be redeemed?**

 **Next time we'll see the two Grand Generals against Po, Zan, Shen, and Karasu, and then the final fight with Dujun/ aka Evil Shen!**


	33. Season 2 Episode 10

**AN: thanks to TheWhisperingWarrior for suggestions for this chapter.**

* * *

As the four heroes ascended the palace, they came across the royal family being held by Wolf Boss and Zhou Dan.

"Mom!" Zan shouted.

"My child! Stay back!" Chunhua said.

"I would abide by what your mother said little one," Zhou said, putting his sword up to the mother goose's throat. "Unless you want to put cooked goose on the menu."

"Not cool dude, not cool at all," Po said, taking a fighting stance. "Shen and Karasu, you go on ahead to face Dujun. Me and Zan got these two taken care of."

As the birds ran off, Wolf Boss chuckled. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy this," he said, brandishing his hammer. As he did so, the hammer glowed slightly, with a matching glow coming from the armor the wolf was clad in as well.

"Uh, maybe I should fight the lizard guy instead," Po said nervously.

In response to that, Zhou Dan brandished his sword and pulled out what looked to be a firework, lighting its fuse and sending it out an explosive straight at the panda. Po barely dodged the attack, having his path towards the Imperial Family cut off by Wolf Boss and forcing a conflict between the two.

 _Zan, Prince of China vs Zhou Dan, Grand General of Order_

"It's just you and me, little prince," Zhou said, slowly making his way towards the goose.

"Little cousin!" Lu Kang shouted, struggling to break out of his bonds.

"Don't bother, even I haven't found a way out of these," Junjie said. "We'll just have to hope that either someone else gets up here to help or Zan is lucky enough to somehow win against him."

As Zhou Dan got closer, Zan could feel fear creeping up inside him. _'Maybe his wasn't the best idea,'_ he thought. _'Wait, didn't Mr. Feng say something about these robes protecting me? But how do they-?'_

As he thought about it, the phoenix pattern on the goose's robe shined like Imperial Jade, the glow going into Zan's body and causing a startling reaction. When the light faded, Zan was now a teenager, roughly the same age as Lu Kang and Peng (maybe even a bit older). The knife that Shen had given him had also changed, turning into a Dao, similar to Shen's Guan Dao but with a normal sword handle instead of a lance.

"Woah!" everyone exclaimed, surprised by Zan's transformation.

"That was… unexpected," Zhou said.

"This is so cool!" Zan said, looking over his now older body and twirling his sword. Despite his older appearance, the goose was still a four-year-old in heart and mind.

As the komodo dragon came in to attack, Zan instinctively blocked the sword with his own sword, the transformation also giving him the knowledge of how to fight. This surprised Zhou, but he didn't falter and continued with the fight. The goose continued to block the strikes, even managing to get in a few hits himself. When melee combat didn't work, the komodo tried to use his fireworks launcher at his opponent.

"Take this! Mini-Cannon Blitz!" Zhou Dan shouted, releasing all of his fireworks at Zan.

The goose couldn't react fast enough and tried to use his sword to block the attack. It wasn't enough, though, and Zan was blown back into the wall. Zan grunted as he pulled himself from the hole he created, his family calling out to him in concern.

"This is… not good," Zan said. He then turned to Zhou. "Hey, you big meanie! That's not fair! I can't even do something like that!"

"Too bad, kid. We don't play by the rules," the komodo said, walking forward to finish off the goose with his sword.

 _'If only I could do something like Uncle Shen does,'_ Zan thought, holding up his sword to defend himself. _'No! Uncle Shen is counting on me to win. It was his blessing that gave me this power, so I have to prove I can be a hero with it!'_

Focusing himself, Zan brought his blade to meet Zhou's, the two engaging in combat once again. As Zan struggled to keep up, he started to let go of his fears, trying to be like Shen with his confidence in fighting. Soon the goose started to gain the advantage in the fight, using his smaller size to out-maneuver the komodo.

"This is impossible! You are an unskilled child!" Zhou said, barely blocking the attacks now.

"You shouldn't underestimate a student of mine," Junjie said. "I might have taught him a little bit of swordplay."

As Zan continued to gain ground in the fight, you could see a glimpse of a phoenix behind him as his sword shot off a blast of energy, knocking Zhou over and into unconsciousness. With the fight ended, Zan released his family from their bonds. As he did so, his mother Chunhua pulled her son into a hug.

"My baby! You saved us!" she said, crying into his shoulder. "Or, I guess you're not a baby anymore, are you."

"That was epic!" Ku Kang said, grabbing Zan and giving him a playful noogie.

When more cheers were heard, the royal family turned to see the other warriors standing there, having watched most of the fight.

"Good job out there, squirt," Fenghuang said.

As Zan smiled, his robes glowed again, returning him back to his child form. The first of the Grand Generals was defeated, but how was Po doing against Wolf Boss?

 _Po, Dragon Warrior vs Wolf Boss, Grand General of Chaos_

As Po and Wolf Boss fought on the large balcony of the palace, the villain let out a laugh as he swung indiscriminately with his panda, breaking the railing and statues that were set up.

"You know, _I_ was the one that killed your village," Wolf Boss said. "And now that I look at you, you remind me of one that I almost killed." He pointed to his eyepatch. "You see this? I got this for defending her, so I have an extra reason to take out her son."

"You should really let that stuff go, dude," Po said, dodging the hammer and delivering a hit directly to Wolf Boss' chest. To the panda's surprise, the wolf didn't flinch, instead his armor glowed and gave Wolf Boss a boost in power.

"Shen made me this armor. It allows me to take hits and deal them back out," Wolf Boss said, hitting Po with his own punch.

"Dude, that's my thing!" the panda whined, dodging another hammer strike and jumping over to another part of the roof.

The fight continued with Po having to stay on the defensive as Wolf Boss continued to laugh while attacking. The panda had to figure out a new strategy, and decided that getting rid of that hammer would be best. Standing in front of a statue, Po waited for Wolf Boss to swing, then ducked, smiling as the hammer got stuck in the statue. Taking the chance, Po knocked the hammer off of the roof, leaving the two combatants to a melee duel.

"You don't know how long I've wanted to complete my mission," Wolf Boss said, taking hits to boost his own power. "My army scoured the land to find the last of the pandas, but we never could. Then, this Shen came to us and offered a chance to take over China, and I readily agreed. Now then, why don't you make your parents and DIE!"

With his power at its max, Wolf Boss gave a massive punch to Po, sending the panda flying to the edge of the roof, just a push away from certain death.

"We don't have to do this," Po pleaded. "I have made peace with my parents being gone. I that hadn't happened, I wouldn't have made the friends I have now, known the father I have now."

"I don't care, I just want you dead," Wolf Boss said.

"I forgive you, you don't have to do this," Po said.

When Wolf Boss prepared to hit again, Po went on the attack, catching the punch with ease. When the wolf tried to attack again, Po caught the punch once more. This went on with panda blocking every attack until the wolf's armor started to spark from too much power being outputted. With a final attack, Wolf Boss overshot his attack, losing his balance and falling off of the roof. Luckily, Po was there to catch him.

"Don't let go, I'll pull you up," Po said, straining to hold on. "I know I can save you. Inside I still feel some guilt for not trying hard enough with Tai Lung, so I want to at least try and save you."

Wolf Boss looked stunned, before looking down and smirking. "Even after all of this, you still try and save me," he said. "Heh, you're too kind for your own good, kid."

With a swipe of his other paw, Wolf Boss forced Po to let go, the panda letting out a loud "NO!" as the wolf plummeted to his death on the ground.

As he stared down in shock, Shifu and the others came to see what had happened. "Po! Are you okay?" Shifu asked.

"I'm… fine," the panda said. "I just wish I could have saved him."

"Not everyone wants to be saved," Tigress said. "The only thing we can do is try."

As she said that, there was a crack of thunder from the top of the palace, catching everyone's attention from its ferocity.

"We need to get up there," Fenghuang stated, flying up to see what had happened.

As everyone got up there, they were shocked and horrified by the sight: Dujun was laughing manically as Karasu was in tears, holding Shen's dead body with a sword that was not the Masamune Blade sticking through his chest.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Next Time: the Fall of a Phoenix**


	34. Season 2 Episode 11

**AN: Let us rewind back to before the end of last time, to see how we got there.**

* * *

As they approached to top of the palace, Karasu and Shen stayed on their guard, weary of anything that Dujun might try to pull on them. When they entered the final room, the evil peacock was sitting on a throne, casually twirling around a knife in his hand. Karasu threw a ninja star, knocking the knife away and getting Dujun's attention.

"Ah, you've both finally arrived," he said, turning to face the two warriors. "I assume we all know what's about to go down."

"Yes, your downfall," Shen said, running forward with his weapon ready.

As he got close to Dujun, the evil peacock waved his wings, creating a dark cloud and making two figures appear. At the sight of them, Shen stopped dead in his tracks, eyes growing wide.

"Mother…Father…?" Shen said in shock.

"Yes Shen, it's us," the King said.

"This Dujun as you call him has kept us held in his grasp," the Queen said.

"You see, I knew that if you opposed me that I would need some leverage over you," Dujun explained. "Now then, how about we make a deal to get them back." He waved his wings, making the King and Queen move next to the throne behind a dark barrier, with a similar one covering the entrance to the room as well. "If you want to see them alive again, you're going to have to fight that ninja friend of yours to the death."

"That's not happening," Shen stated firmly.

"Actually, I think we should do it," Karasu said, subtly pointing at his sword.

"And that is where I'm going to stop you," Dujun said, moving quicker than the eye and taking Karasu's sword. "I was told that this sword can't harm the innocent, so I'm taking this so you can't back out of this fight. How about you use… _this_ sword instead."

As he said that, another sword appeared in Karasu's hands, this one looking like a dark reflection of the Masamune Blade.

"The Muramasa Blade…" Karasu said, realizing what the weapon was. "I can't, I wont' use this sword!"

"Oh, but you will," Dujun said. "It has already been used by you once before, hasn't it? That means that it won't stop until it gets what it wants: a soul."

Karasu tried to let go of the demonic sword, but his wings wouldn't budge from the handle, instead forcing him to make advancements towards Shen.

"You'll pay for this!" Shen exclaimed, drawing his weapon just in time to meet Karasu in combat.

The two friends had faced each other in the past, but always as a friendly spar. This time it was for life and death, all while Dujun watched in sick joy. The two warriors were like a blur of black and white, countering each strike that the other made. Shen tried to use his fire to add distance, but Karasu countered with lightning.

"I'm sorry Shen, but I can only control my voice," Karasu said. "The reason this blade is drawn to me is because this was the sword I used to kill the samurai that killed my village. When there was only one left, I snapped out of my rage and spared his life, vowing to never use the Muramasa Blade ever again. I wants me to make another kill to make up for the life I spared."

"I won't stop fighting until your free," Shen said, going into his Burning Shen form.

"That's what I'm worried about," Karasu said, tears in his eyes as he used his Draconic Aura to match the peacock's power.

The two accelerated their battle, using everything from Chi to knives to ninja stars. Karasu tried his Dragon Chi Strike, only to be countered by Shen's Rising Phoenix technique.

 _'I need to knock him out and get that sword out of his grip,'_ Shen thought.

The peacock then made an odd play and threw a knife at Dujun, whom simply knocked it aside. What he didn't expect was for Shen to then kick him in the face, making him drop the Masamune Blade.

"I will stop this Karasu, even if I have to die first," Shen said, taking the sword and charging up his ultimate attack. Flying up high, the peacock covered himself in fire as he came crashing down in a Phoenix Firework Crash, creating a giant fireball explosion. When the fire faded, Shen was left standing, his Chi drained as Karasu lay prone on the floor.

"Neither are dead yet," Dujun mumbled impatiently.

As Shen walked over to his friend, the reached down and helped the raven up. "You're safe now," he said, reaching for the handle of the sword.

"But you're not," Karasu whispered, and with a thrust, stabbed Shen through the heart, instantly ending his life.

"SHEN!" the King and Queen exclaimed, running to their son as the wall of darkness faded.

Karasu stood there in shock, falling to his knees as his vision came true: Shen was dead, and it was all his fault.

"Shen, I'm sorry," Karasu said, his eyes filling with tears. "I made a promise that my blade would never hurt you, and now your dead because of me." As he looked at Shen's body, he saw a Phoenix, the spirit of the Phoenix of Yin, leave the peacock and go into himself. With tears flowing freely, Karasu screamed to the heavens, lightning striking the palace from his intense emotions.

Dujun laughed maniacally as the rest of the heroes joined them, looking in shock at Shen's dead body.

"My students, what has happened," Fenghuang said.

"This is a most dark day," Shifu said. "A master should never outlive their student."

As everyone gave their piece, Karasu tuned their conversation out, focusing on the laughter of Dujun. With a fire in his eyes, the raven pulled out the mask that his friend had sent him from another world, the one looking like a dragon kabuki mask. Putting it on, the raven drew the sword out of Shen's body, his aura flaring to life as he screamed.

"DUJUN! BY THE POWER OF THE DRAGON AND THE WISDOM OF THE PHOENIX, I WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN!" Karasu screamed, lunging forward at inhuman speed as he let the power of the demon mask take over.

Dujun was surprised at the ferocity on display, but put his dark powers to use to try and counter Karasu. The raven was relentless, sending out slash after slash, lightning bolt after lightning bolt. He was consumed by his negative emotions, only wanting to end the life of the one that caused him this pain.

 **[***]**

His eyes were groggy, as if waking up from a dream. His body failed to respond, as if his heart had stopped beating.

"…you're crowding him!" said a female voice.

As Shen sat up, everyone looked in astonishment as the peacock rose from death.

"Shen's a zombie!" Mantis exclaimed, hiding behind Po for protection.

"I'm not a zombie you idiot," Shen said, rubbing his head. "I was never dead in the first place."

"But…how?" Po asked confused.

"It's because he wasn't stabbed by the Muramasa Blade," Fenghuang said.

"Yes, exactly," Shen said. "I knew that to free my parents that one of us would have to fake our death. So when I knocked Karasu out with my attack, I switched the blades, knowing that his muscle memory would kick in when he woke up and stab me. Then I just had to wait until someone removed the sword for the injury to heal."

"So, you knew that Karasu would try and stab you when he woke up?" Monkey asked.

"He told me about the Muramasa Blade before. I can hold sway over a person for about a minute after releasing it from your grip, so I was counting on that still being in effect when he woke up," Shen explained.

"A risky, stupid plan, but it worked," Fenghuang huffed, not happy that she thought one of students had died.

As everyone else settled down, Karasu was thrown right into Shen, knocking the peacock over onto his back.

"What? Your still _alive!?"_ Dujun shouted at Shen.

"SHEN!" Karasu said, taking off the mask and burying his face into his friend's chest. "I thought that you were gone forever."

"You and I both know that I'm too smart to be killed by conventional means," Shen replied, rubbing the sobbing raven's back. He then gave Karasu off to his mother as he picked up his Guan Dao, squaring off against Dujun. "Now then, I believe that the two Shens should finally face in combat to see who truly is the strongest."

"Yes, let us finish this," Dujun answered, putting up a dark barrier between them and the others.

"Should we be worried about him?" Fung asked.

"Shen is more powerful than he looks," Karasu said. "However, by stabbing him with the Masamune blade, I released the Phoenix of Yin out of his body, meaning he doesn't have access to its powers anymore."

"Don't be so sure," Fenghuang said, watching the insuring fight intently.

Dujun and Shen faced off for the last time, with the fate of China and this world on the line. Shen started off with using his Fire Chi, which while weaker without the Phoenix of Yin did still do a good amount of damage. Dujun responded by summoning his dark powers to create a copy of Wolf Boss. Shen effortlessly cut through the illusion, starting the fight once more.

"You can't defeat me! There are countless other worlds I've conquered that posed a greater challenge," the warlord said.

"But that's the problem: I am you. We both think the same, fight the same, even look the same," Shen said. "But do you know what the difference is? I chose to become a better person, someone who saw value in someone else. When I look at you, I only see someone who has no purpose, who one goes on because death is the only thing left for them."

Dujun growled, using his dark powers to grab Shen by the neck and choke him out. "You don't know anything about me! My own parents disowned me, no one saw the genius in my cannons. So, I showed everyone what I was capable of, conquering China in the process. But even then, no one respected me. So, I went to other worlds, conquering them all, but _still_ there was only fear."

"Repeating something expecting different results is the definition of insanity," Karasu said.

"That's where you failed," Shen said, choking slightly. "You want respect, but you never gave anyone a reason to give it to you. I worked hard to be where I am now, earning respect little by little. And now, I have friends that will always be loyal to me."

As Dujun increased his dark grip on Shen, the good peacock started to glow with a brilliant light, burning away the darkness surrounding him.

"What is this?" Dujun asked, covering his eyes from the blinding light.

When it faded, Shen was now wearing his traditional white robes, but his aura was also there in a clam, fiery blaze. With his weapon drawn, a phoenix came to rest on his shoulder, before going into the weapon and imbuing it with radiant energy.

"No way…" Fenghuang said. "It's supposed to be impossible."

"But there it is," Shifu said in astonishment. "The Phoenix Warrior."

"Now, then, let us finish this, once and for all," Shen said.

As Dujun's face turned to terror, he tried to run away, only to be blocked by Shen, whom teleported in front of him. The Phoenix Warrior then used his fire to blast flames in Dujun's face, the villain screaming in pain as the holy flames burned him down to the sad excuse of what could be called a soul.

"No! I've come too far for it to end like this!" Dujun shouted, raising his weapon to strike Shen.

As the weapon collided with his head, it disintegrated into nothingness.

"My turn," Shen said, and with a swift swipe of his Dao, Dujun felt nothing as his entire body was set ablaze, the weapon passing through him like a knife does to butter.

With one final look, Dujun fell to the floor as the fire melted his soul, his body fading into darkness that was quickly absorbed by light. With the villain defeated, Shen powered down into his normal form, his clothes singed black from the flames and his body tired from the exertion. As he fell over, Karasu ran up to catch him.

"It's over, my friend. We can rest knowing that China is safe once more," Karasu said, his own strength fading as he too fell unconscious.

As everyone cheered, Shifu left to inform the Emperor of Dujun's defeat, and Fenghuang chuckled as he walked up to the sleeping forms of her students.

"You have done more for this country than most can say," Fenghuang said. Shen kissed both of them on the forehead. "When you wake up, it will be a new day for everyone."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **This is it. Dujun is gone, Shen is alive, and China is saved. However, we still have to wrap up a few loose ends, like the royal family, Shen's parents, and a few other things.**

 **Next Time: Peace at last.**


	35. Season 2 Episode 12 (Finale)

When Shen and Karasu woke up, they found themselves in the guest quarters of the Imperial Palace. Sitting up on the bed, the raven looked around to see Fenghuang sitting at the foot of his bed, looking at him with a pleasant expression.

"Uh… we didn't… do anything… did we…?" Karasu asked.

The owl laughed. "You must have really been exhausted if your mind went straight into the ditch. No, we did not 'do' anything. You both did save China, though. Po got closure on his parents, Dujun is no more, and Shen is now the Phoenix Warrior."

"And it was awesome!" Zan shouted, running into the room with the others behind him. The goose jumped up and hugged Shen, the peacock returning the gesture. "Sorry for listening in on you."

"It is fine, Zan," Shen replied. "Though I do not believe I am the Phoenix Warrior. That is a title that is only in legends, as a parable. I believe ' **Celestial Phoenix** ' is a more fitting title."

"A fitting title indeed," the King said, his Queen and the Emperor entering behind him. He turned to the two warriors. "When we first met, Karasu, I was skeptical of leaving you with my son. But I can see now that two of you have done well with each other."

"Father, it's not like _that_ ," Shen said.

"Yes, they're with me," Fenghuang said, pulling the two birds close to her.

"Wait, so she's…?" Po asked.

"Yes," the two replied.

"So she chose-?"

"Both of us."

"But doesn't she have to-?

"Po, I frankly don't care about usual conventions," Fenghuang said.

Shifu gave a loud cough. "Anyway, I believe that it is time for us to return to the Jade Palace. The Valley will need its warriors back."

"Aw, do you have to leave Uncle Shen?" Zan whined.

"Uncle? Now then, I don't think I'm quite ready to be having a grandchild," the Queen chuckled.

"Mother, please don't…" Shen mock whined. "I'm sorry Zan, but I will make sure to come and visit you whenever you call. Us phoenixes have a special connection to each other."

"What does he mean by that?" Mantis asked Shifu.

"I believe he is referring to how Zan could summon a phoenix with his royal blood," Shifu explained.

"Now then, I believe that a decree is in order," the Emperor said, calling attention to everyone.

 **[***]**

As the Emperor gives his speech, the scene fades to show what happens afterward.

 _"As the heroes of the hour, I grant the two of you the highest honor I can give you for your service to this country."_

We see Shen and Karasu in front of the Imperial Palace, receiving medals in a fashion very similar to that scene in Mulan.

 _"I also grant amnesty to Fenghuang, as it is very clear that she was not responsible for the supposed death of the Royal Peacock Family."_

We see Fenghuang getting a hug from Shen and Karasu, the owl just smiling and returning the gesture.

 _"I would like to say something," Peng said. "While it's been great at the Jade Palace, Lian and I have decided to stay here in the Imperial City with Lu Kang and Zan."_

 _"And I will stay to formally train them," Junjie added._

We see the Jade Palace heroes saying goodbye to the Royal Family.

"Is it a good idea to leave Junjie with them?" Shifu asked.

"I'm sure they'll be just fine," Fenghuang said. "I already sent a letter to Chao to come and help him. That lizard will keep our 'friend' in check."

Over with Karasu, we see him talking with Xing and Shen. "So, since the Phoenix of Yin was released from you, I now have both the Yin and the Yang."

"Not that it's a problem, all things considering," Shen said, showing off his new Celestial Fire.

"So, you're letting me join the Tao Go?" Xing asked. "I mean, I'm honored, and it's really for the best since I vowed to stay here-"

"Doesn't your world need you?" Shen questioned the wolf.

"Actually, by the time I left I kind of promised my Shen that I would stay here," the wolf explained. "Now, before you say anything, we did leave on good terms. It's just that he didn't need me to protect him anymore, and he knew that coming here to help you was better for me." He smiled. "You're very much like him, you know."

"Thank you," Shen said. He was honored to be compared to a version of himself that was from a world were no major conflict happened.

"Now then, I have an announcement to make," Karasu said, gaining everyone's attention. "I am stepping down as leader of the Tao Go, but I am not leaving the group. Instead, I give my position as leader to Shen. Xing will also be joining our group as well."

"The name is a bit ill-fitting if there are six of us," Mei Ling said.

"Too late to change it now," the raven said with a laugh.

 **[***]**

When everyone arrived back at the Valley of Peace, Mr. Ping was quick to make everyone a hearty bowl of noodles, which they all agreed to happily. As the sun rose on a new day, it was time for the last few loose ends to be tied up. Zhou Dan was sent to Chor-Gom prison, where he would spend the rest of his life. Karasu opened two portals, with some help from Oogway's staff.

"Okay, one should lead to both of your worlds," the raven said, turning to face Tang and Guan.

"Thank you, for everything," Guan said, talking to Crane and Mei Ling.

"Just doing our job as heroes," Crane said with a nod.

"As thanks, let me offer you some of my power," Guan said. With a wave of her wings, a bit of her Chi went out to both of them. "I have sensed in both of you that while you show skill in your powers, neither of you is as comfortable in them as your friends. As such, I have let you switch your abilities: Crane now has Wind and Mei Ling has Water."

"I did always see myself as more of a water person," Mei Ling said.

"And I did prefer the air," Crane mused.

"I have something as well!" Tang said. With a bit of power, he shot some Chi at Xing. "I have given you my Speed power, though it also has Lightning."

Xing smiled, letting lightning dance between his claws. "Cool. I always wanted Chi powers."

"It's convenient as well; my elemental alignment was changed when I absorbed the Phoenix of Yin," Karasu explained, forming a ball of energy in his hands. "My control of the Aether element has now advanced to where I can use pure energy now. Alternatively, I can also use the five elements you have as well."

As the two former villains left to their worlds, Shen looked up to the rising sun with a smile on his face. It was the start of a new era, and he was looking forward to seeing where it went.

* * *

 **(Cue "My Hero Academia Opening 2 - Peace Sign [English Dub Cover]" by NateWantsToBattle)**

The instrumental starts as the scene shifts up into the sky. We see Shen and Karasu standing in the Imperial City, watching as the people go about their days. When the guitar kicks in, the two jump off the room into a run with the other Tao Go members joining them.

 ** _One day I set my eyes up to the sky_**

 ** _And like a plane my dreams were passing by_**

We see Shen standing in Gongmen, looking up as the sun rises in the distance.

 ** _And I awoke to tears that filled my eyes_**

 ** _I need to spread my wings out and fly_**

We see Karasu stand on a Japanese palace, wiping a stray tear from his eye as he flies upward.

 ** _I lie awake at night with these memories_**

 ** _Of feeling powerless and they're haunting me_**

We see Shen with his eyes closed, remembering how helpless he was against Dujun the first time.

 ** _I'm always reaching out for my destiny_**

 ** _To make it happen that's all on me_**

Karasu lands next to Shen, the two smiling as they jump off the tower together/

 ** _Cruel fate sets, in motion_**

 ** _And no one else knows why_**

 ** _Waiting for the day to come_**

 ** _When will it show up_**

 ** _Claiming what's before my eyes_**

As they fall, we see scenes of Fenghuang, Fung, and Mei Ling, each of them showing off their powers and a look of determination.

 ** _With every issue_**

 ** _I gotta breathe through_**

 ** _Or the moment might just pass_**

 ** _The all told me I can't_**

 ** _They were laughing_**

 ** _Well look who's laughing now_**

While they continue to fall, we see each of Furious Five, Po, and the others that helped in the fight for China. When the two reach the ground, a burst of energy is seen.

 ** _Now I can_**

 ** _Feel the fire burning deep within me_**

We see Shen rocket forward, the Celestial Phoenix surrounding him as he smiles with a confident grin.

 ** _I'll be the hero and no one can stop me_**

 ** _Loudly I will scream it from the top of my lungs_**

Karasu joins him, his Draconic Aura surrounding him.

 ** _You've got those tired eyes from crying every moment_**

 ** _You cannot hide it someone's gonna notice_**

As they land, Karasu's eyes fill with tears of joy, Shen promptly pulling his friend into a hug.

 ** _I'll be your hero_**

 ** _No one's gonna hurt you again_**

The other Tao Go join them, with everyone looking towards the sea on a brand-new day.

 ** _Gonna raise my hand with a peace sign_**

 ** _Our story will last forever_**

As the song ends, Karasu puts up the titular peace sign, the scene fading with the "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang" logo appearing.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Thank you all for reading! Special thanks to Alex the Owl, TheGreyCoincidence, and TheWisperingWarrior for your continued support.**

 **I switched up some of the powers (Crane, Karasu, and Mei Ling) for story purposes that will be explored in the bonus chapters between season 2 and 3. And Yes, Season 3 will be happening, and you should know what villain will the main bad guy.**

 **Also, with Finals Week, I may not have a lot of posts next week, so be ready for more chapters when winter break starts.**

* * *

At the palace, we see the Tao Go gathered in front of a portal.

"Are you all ready?" Karasu asked.

"Yes, a vacation is really in order," Fenghuang said.

"Then let us go," Shen said.

As they stepped through, the team eagerly awaited a break from the craziness that had been happening recently.


	36. Secrets of the Tao Go 1

**AN: It's time for something a little different. Remember when the original Kung Fu Panda was released and it came with that "Secrets of the Furious Five" shorts? These next seven chapters will be similar to that, with each chapter highlighting a particular member of the Tao Go and what they've been up to since the end of Season 2.**

 **Now then, on with the chapter!**

* * *

It was a peaceful day at the Jade Palace, or at least it would be if there wasn't a bunch of rowdy kids running around. Karasu sighed as he stood on the steps of the palace, watching the chaos unfold in the courtyard. It was his turn to teach the kids of the Valley of Peace Kung Fu, and he hoped that he could do better than his other Tao Go members.

Xing was still too new to this world to teach anything. Fenghuang was banned from teaching children after parents complained about them stealing the kitchen knives for target practice. Fung literally let the kids walk all over him, Mei Ling spent more time cuddling them instead of teaching them, and Shen was stuck answering questions about the royal family the entire time.

"Alight, let's get started," Karasu said to himself. With a flick of his wrist, a ninja star hit the nearby gong, making the kids stop what they were doing and sit at attention. " _Kon'nichiwa_ , young students. I am known as Karasu, and I hail from the country of Japan."

"What's Japan?" a bunny girl asked.

"Japan is an island nation, also known as 'The Land of the Rising Sun.' Our warriors are split into two main factions: the honorable and noble Samurai, and the mysterious and sneaky ninjas," the raven explained.

"Which are you?" a pig boy asked.

"I am a ninja, though other than how I fight I've left that life behind," Karasu replied. "We use stealth and surprise tactics to gain the advantage over our enemies, all encompassed in the ancient art of Ninjutsu." He then took a pose with his sword. "We use weapons, Chi, magic, and our environment to the fullest. In fact, let us start training in some of my people's skills."

As everyone stood up, Karasu sheathed his sword, putting his hands behind his back and walking in front of them. "To train, we will be going down and around the Valley. Pay attention to what I tell you and try to have fun!"

 **(Cue "Inner Ninja (feat. Olly Murs) [Remix]" by Classified)**

A funky beat starts as Karasu sings the first chorus.

 _ **I read the rules before I broke 'em (I broke 'em)**_

 _ **I broke the chains before they choked me out**_

 _ **And I pay close attention**_

 _ **Really learn the code**_

 _ **I learned to read the map before I hit the road**_

As he sings, he leads the kids down into the Valley of Peace, giving each kid a belt to denote that they were his students.

 _ **Hey yo, I know you never heard this before**_

 _ **But I'd rather lose a fight than miss the war**_

Karasu sees of the kids fighting, and pushes them both away from each other.

 _ **And I ain't wishing competition or fishing for it**_

 _ **I'm just living in the system, conditions are poor**_

Seeing one of the kids is hungry, the raven gives some coins to a shop vendor and buys the kid an apple.

 _ **I've been lost in the rhythm and misinformed**_

 _ **Too many late nights hitting the liquor store**_

 _ **Too many bad decisions, half assed attempts**_

 _ **No sweat, no fear, no blood, no tears**_

Karasu then sees an adult that seems to have drunk a bit too much sake. He causally moves his kids away and effortlessly knocks the guy out, the kids all looking at his in awe.

 _ **I go hard, and I ain't making up no excuse**_

 _ **I'm overdue, I don't do what I'm 'sposed to do**_

" _ **Cause if you think about it, man, we 'sposed to lose**_

 _ **It ain't all picture-perfect views**_

Karasu then stands on a table in Mr. Ping's noodle shop, doing a few sword moves for the kids, though he accidentally slices a painting of a seaside sunset that an artist was working on.

 _ **No, I was a first-class rookie,**_

 _ **Takin' out bullies in my all black hoodie**_

One of the kids (a bunny) takes his scarf and wraps it around his head, pretending to be a ninja. Karasu quickly takes the makeshift mask off.

 _ **Man of mystery, you know the history**_

 _ **Get it or forget it, cause poof, I'm outta here**_

The raven then pulls out a smoke bomb, making a smoke screen that he disappears into.

 _ **I read the rules before I broke 'em (I broke 'em)**_

 _ **I broke the chains before they choked me out**_

 _ **And I pay close attention**_

 _ **Really learn the code**_

 _ **I learned to read the map before I hit the road**_

We cut back to the palace, where Karasu is training the kids. They seem to be slowly learning his techniques.

 _ **(But we say)**_

 _ **Nobody's gonna see me comin'**_

 _ **Nobody's gonna hear a sound**_

 _ **No matter how hard they tryin'**_

 _ **No stoppin' me since I've found**_

The kids repeat the words, doing basic ninja poses as they follow Karasu's teachings.

 _ **My inner ninja**_

 _ **My inner ninja**_

 _ **My inner ninja**_

 _ **My inner ninja**_

Cut to Karasu doing some poses.

 _ **Hey yo, I've been high and I've been real low**_

 _ **I've been beaten and broken but I healed though**_

 _ **So many ups and downs, roughed up and clowned**_

 _ **We all got problems, but we deal though**_

Back in the village, Karasu takes the kids to a field where they mock spar each other. When a goose boy gets knocked down, the raven picks him up and gives him a bandage for his bruise.

 _ **I'm trying to do better now, find my inner peace**_

 _ **Learn my art form, and find my inner Chi**_

Karasu moves the kids through some yoga poses, and is happy when he sees that some of them have potential for Chi.

 _ **When my backs on the wall, I don't freeze up**_

 _ **Nah, I find my inner strength and I re-up**_

Back with the goose boy, he stands up and goes back to spar, not wanting to give up.

 _ **Here we go, I know I've never been the smartest or wisest**_

 _ **But I realize what it takes (takes)**_

 _ **Never dwell in the dark cause the sun always rises**_

 _ **But gotta make it to the next day (day)**_

We see a time lapse of Karasu doing some sword moves, with the kids trying with some success to copy him.

 _ **It's a feeling that you get in your lungs when you run**_

 _ **Like you're running outta air and your breath won't come**_

We see everyone jogging on a path, but then a pig girl trips and falls over.

 _ **And you (uh) wheezing', gotta keep it moving**_

 _ **Find that extra (uhn!) and push your way through it**_

Karasu backpedals and helps her up, giving her a sip of water from a flask and a pat on the back to continue going.

 _ **I've had bad habits but I dropped 'em, I dropped 'em**_

 _ **I've had opponents but I knocked them out**_

We see Karasu in front of a training dummy, doing a crane kick like in "The Karate Kid."

 _ **I've climbed the highest mountains**_

 _ **I swum the coldest seas**_

Indeed, we see the raven climbing a tall mountain and swimming in a frigid lake.

 _ **There ain't a thing I've faced that's been too much for me**_

 _ **(But we say)**_

 _ **Nobody's gonna see me coming**_

 _ **Nobody's gonna hear a sound**_

 _ **No matter how hard they trying**_

 _ **Nobody's gonna bring me down**_

The kids sing their part again, but now they've improved their skills a lot more since they were last seen.

 _ **Nobody's gonna see me coming**_

 _ **Nobody's gonna hear a sound**_

 _ **No matter how hard they trying**_

 _ **No stopping me since I've found**_

Four kids even show some signs of being ninja material, so Karasu presents each of them with a scarf that has the Japanese symbol for 'Ninja' on it

 _ **My inner ninja**_

 _ **My Inner ninja**_

 _ **My Inner ninja**_

 _ **My inner ninja**_

More fighting poses from Karasu, this time intercut with the kids.

 _ **I've had bad habits but I dropped 'em, I dropped 'em**_

 _ **I've had opponents but I knocked them out**_

 _ **I've climbed the highest mountains**_

 _ **I swum the coldest seas**_

 _ **There ain't a thing I've faced that's been too much for me**_

 _ **My inner ninja!**_

The song ends as the kids laugh, all of them having had a fun time training.

"Well, that was fun, but I think it's time for all of you to go home to your parents," the raven said, wiping some sweat from his brow.

"But Master Karasu, it's only been an hour since we started training," one of the kids said.

The raven froze. "Wow, time really _does_ fly when you sing. Or, in this case, it slows down." He sits in front of the kids and, with a bit of ninja magic, makes a set of scrolls appear in front of him. "How about this. Since we already finished the training part, I'm going to tell you all some recent stories about myself and my team, the Tao Go." He opens one of the scrolls, having the symbol for 'Wolf' on the seal. "This first one is about Xing, the wolf warrior from another world…"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Time for the in-between for Seasons 2 and 3! Next time we'll learn what Xing had to do to prove his worth as an ally of Kung Fu after what Wolf Boss did in this world.**


	37. Secrets of the Tao Go 2

" _About a month after the defeat of Dujun, the Jade Palace was visited by the Kung Fu Council of Gongmen city,"_ Karasu narrated. " _They came to make sure that Shen and I were safe, but also to assess Xing in his combat skills."_

"So, why did you call me here alone?" Xing asked, being brought into the Hall of Heroes by the Kung Fu Council and Shifu.

"We called you here to see if you are worthy to be here at the Jade Palace," Shifu replied.

"Karasu has told us that you come from another world," Thundering Rhino said. "While you may have been a formidable warrior in your world, you'll have to earn the trust and title in ours."

"Especially after what Wolf Boss did in our world," Storming Ox added.

"I understand and hope to do my best," Xing said, taking a bow.

"Good. Then let us begin," Shifu said. "Each of us has set up a trail that you will have to face. After completing one you will be given an amulet to show your completion. Show me the four amulets and we will give you the title of master."

Xing nodded, taking a scroll from Zeng that contained the first task.

 _"With his mission given, Xing started with Shifu's trial, which was to earn a seal from the Royal Peacock family. Heading off to Gongmen, the wolf brought Shen with him, the two comparing their stories to each other all the way. Eventually, they reached the port city and the Tower of Sacred flames."_

In the Tower, Xing and Shen met with the King and Queen, whom had been informed of the wolf's trials and had decided on a task.

"The annual fireworks display will be in three days," the King said. "For your trial, you will create one of the arrangements for the show. Please the crowd and we will give you our royal seal and the first amulet."

"I'll do my best," Xing said.

With that, Xing set off to set up his own display, but the wolf was having trouble coming up ideas.

"This is pointless!" Xing cried, throwing a scroll aside.

Shen walked in, hearing the wolf's cries from down the hall. "Having trouble?"

"You have no idea," Xing groaned.

"If there's one thing I learned on my travels, it's that learning to ask for help is essential to a great warrior," the peacock said. He picked up one of the scrolls. "Now then, let us see what we can accomplish together."

With some help from Shen, Xing had his display ready in time for the festival. The citizens of Gongmen were impressed by the colors and patterns, the whole thing ending the image of a peacock over the tower.

"Xing, you have passed your trial," the King said. "However, I do not believe that you made the display on your own."

Xing bowed his head. "It's true. I had Shen's help in making the display."

"And that is what we were looking for," the Queen said. "It shows true character that you were willing to allow someone to help you." She gave the wolf a sash with the Peacock Royal Family crest on it, along with an amulet emblazoned with a flame.

 _"With the first task done, the trials of Storming Ox and Master Croc went by easily. Ox had Xing show off his raw strength and endurance by delivering food to an entire village. Croc's trial was of the mind, making the wolf solve a problem of how to get across a lake without touching the water once. Finally, Xing went back to the Jade Palace, where he would face Thundering Rhino's trial."_

"So, you have completed the trials of Shifu and my brethren, but now you will face my trial," Rhino said. He pulled out his hammer, letting the head hit the ground with a thunderous crack. "You will face me, Master Thundering Rhino, in combat. Defeat of disarm me, and the final amulet will be yours."

Xing looked down at his amulets, each emblazoned with a flame, a wave of water, and a stone of earth. Looking up at the Rhino, the wolf pulled out his own weapon, ready to fight for his title. Everyone at the Palace was watching, anxious to see how this fight would go down.

"Everyone ready?" Fenghuang said, acting as the referee for the match. "Try not to maim the kid, Thundering. And Xing?" She smirked. "Kick this rhino's but for me."

With that, the match began, starting with Rhino making a big swing and Xing. The wolf yelped and dodged the hammer, lucky that his small size let him move around more than the rhino. Xing took his own swing at Master Rhino, but the blow bounced off of his opponent's tough hide.

"Hah! The Wu Sisters hit harder than that!" Rhino laughed, stomping the ground to trip up Xing.

The wolf recovered from the ground shaking and jumped up, putting his hammer away to grab onto Rhino's back. As the master struggled to grab Xing off, the wolf hopped up onto Rhino's head, grabbing his horn for dear life.

"You can do this Xing!" Shen called out.

It wasn't enough, however, as Thundering Rhino managed to grab the wolf and slam him into the ground.

"Hah, it looks like it'll be lights out for you," Rhino said, holding the wolf down with one hand.

Xing chuckled a bit. "You know, there's one thing about your name that puts you at a disadvantage," he said. "Thunder always comes after the LIGHTNING!"

With that exclamation, Xing's claws surged with lightning, the electricity surging up Rhino and forcing him to let go. When he recovered, Rhino took his stance, ready to fight.

"That little Chi trick is only going to get you so far," Rhino said.

"Or it could land him a win," Fenghuang said. "Xing disarmed you of your hammer. Therefore, he did complete his trial."

Indeed, the lightning made Thundering Rhino drop his hammer, thereby disarming him.

Rhino looked at his empty hand dumbly, before chuckling and going into a full-on laugh.

"Good play, wolf. Knowing to try for the alternative instead of the direct. I would expect such a strategy from a friend of Shen's," Rhino said, patting Xing on the back and knocking him over.

"Yeah, thanks," the wolf said, now lying on the floor. He looked up to see Rhino holding out an amulet, emblazoned with a lightning bold on it. "Thank you, Master Rhino."

 **[***]**

"…After that, Xing was officially dubbed Master Wolf, earning his place in our ranks," Karasu said, ending the story.

"But how can he be a master if he didn't win?" asked a kid in the back.

"Being a master isn't about winning, it's about knowing how to face even the most impossible of odds and overcoming them," the raven explained. "Now then, what story do you want to hear next?"

"How about one with adventure!" a kid shouted.

"No, it should be a funny one!" another kid shouted.

"Okay, how about I tell you all a story of my best friend, Shen, that is both an adventure and is funny?" Karasu offered, picking up another scroll. "Now then, this story takes place back before even I met Shen, back when he was but a boy training to become a prince…"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **And that was Xing's journey to become a master! Next time will be Shen's story, so stay tuned as "Secrets of the Tao Go" continues!**


	38. Secrets of the Tao Go 3

As with the other stories, Karasu started with a narration. _"Many years ago, Shen's family took a trip to the Imperial City for negotiations on trade with Gongmen and the Imperial City. As Shen was just a boy back then, he had to sit and wait for his parents to be done. That is, until…"_

Shen sighed as he sat outside the meeting hall of the Imperial Palace. Being only 8, the young peacock was not allowed to sit in on the adults' conversation. Shen looked… well, considering that at this point he's only a bit older than Zan, Shen is really adorable at this point. His train was oversized for his body, which didn't help him with moving around at all.

You see, while his parents loved him very much, Shen was born with a condition that made his body what the doctors called 'sickly.' He would grow out of with intensive training in Kung Fu, but for now being at such a young age the peacock would have to be careful due to his weaker immune system and body.

"Ugh, this is so stupid!" Shen groaned. "If I'm going to be the Prince of Gongmen, I should be allowed to hear the meeting!"

"Shen, you will learn in time that being the ruler is not all it cracks up to be," Soothsayer said. She was in charge of taking care of the peacock while his parents were in the meeting. If anything, she was the boy's surrogate mother.

"But I want to rule _now_ ," Shen whined.

"You will have your time someday, young prince," Soothsayer said.

Shen groaned and laid his head in the goat's lap, only to pop his head back up in a smile. "Can you do the magic thing, Nana?"

Soothsayer smiled. "Only for you, Shen." Plucking a feather from the prince's head, the goat pulled out her scrying bowl and dropped the feather in. "A peacock of white…" she began. "…will find himself on a most elegant chair."

Shen frowned. "What does that mean?" he asked.

"Not every prediction is straightforward, Shen," Soothsayer replied.

The peacock sat there, but then his eyes lit up in realization. "I know what it means!" and with that exclamation, Shen ran off into the palace, with the Soothsayer barely following behind him. He ran all the way into the throne room, where the peacock climbed up on the throne and refused to move from.

"Hey, no one is allowed to sit on the throne but the Emperor himself!" said one of the guards.

"Hmph, then that makes _me_ the Emperor now," Shen said in a childish way.

 **[***]**

"…and that is how Shen became Emperor of China," Karasu said.

The kids didn't say anything, only giving the raven blank looks.

"That was lame," one of the kids said.

"Oh, so you want to hear a different story, then?" Karasu asked rhetorically. "Well then, how about I tell you about a more recent adventure Shen had?" The raven pulled out another scroll. "This story ties into the last one I told, if only in the sense that both happen in the Imperial City. Now then, Shen had just gotten to the Imperial City when he learned some startling news…"

 **[***]**

At the Imperial Palace, Shen ran inside the courtyard to find the kids training with Masters Chao and Junjie.

"I heard the news," Shen said. "What happened to Zan?"

No one said anything, but simply moved out of the way to show Shen what had happened. Zan was back in his teenage form.

"I just woke up like this Uncle Shen, and now I can't turn back," Zan said.

Shen breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad it's not something worse. Now then." The peacock readied his wings. "I wish Karasu was here to help, but I have seen him perform some magic. I will see if I can do anything to counteract this curse."

Shen did a few movements with his wings at Zan, and soon a glow surrounded the both of them. The results, however, where anything but satisfactory.

"Ugh, why do I feel so weak?" Shen asked, only to gasp at how high pitched his voice sounded. Looking over himself, the peacock found that he had somehow reversed his age back to when he was a kid. "Oh no, I think the spell backfired on me."

"Uh, it wasn't just on you, Uncle Shen," said Zan. Shen looked up to see that Zan was now even older, somewhere in his mid 30's.

"It seems that the two of you swapped ages somehow," Junjie said.

"And it was all because of me!" shouted a voice. In another flash of smoke, everyone else but Zan and Shen was tied up in magical bindings. A Siamese cat jumped into the middle of the courtyard, surrounded by what looked to be ghost wolves.

"Pang Bing!" Lu Kang shouted.

"Yes, foolish ox, I have returned from that harem that the wretched snake put me in," Pang Bing said. "Now, however, I have come back with more magic and an army of the undead! I have captured all of you and rendered the Celestial Phoenix completely helpless!" She laughed, then snapped her fingers. "Wolves, tear that overgrown child apart!"

Zan instinctively picked up Shen, putting the peacock on his back and picking up his Guan Dao.

"Zan, I can still use my Chi, but in this body, you'll have to fend off these ghosts while I charge up," Shen said.

"I'll do my best," Zan replied.

The goose found the Guan Dao oddly comfortable in his wings, similar to his sword from before. Zan used his training that the Onyx Council had given him to fend off the wolves, surprised to find that the weapon actually hurt the ghosts.

"What? How is that possible!" Pang Bing shouted.

"My weapon is enchanted by the Royal Soothsayer of Gongmen to ward off creatures of the night," Shen said. He then scowled, which looked really adorable on his child face. "You should be ashamed of using ghosts of the fallen. These wolves should be allowed to pass on, and you denied them that."

"Who cares? They're dead," the Siamese cat retorted.

Zan continued to use his skills to take out the ghosts, with Shen giving him pointers on how to use his weapon. When most of the ghosts were gone, Shen had gathered enough energy to use his Chi. Activating his Celestial Phoenix mode, the peacock was returned to his adult self, the power counteracting the magic placed on him.

"Time for you to stand down, Pang Bing," Shen said proudly, taking up his weapon from Zan.

"Hmph, I'm not afraid of you, when I can do THIS!" With a shout, the cat opened a portal, which sucked herself and Shen in. "Welcome to the mirror dimension, foolish warrior, where magic reigns supreme!"

As she said that, Pang Bing did a few hand motions, making war fans appear in her hands. With a few more motions, the world started to shift and twist, making the ground the sky and buildings turn inside out.

"This is insane," the peacock said, using his metal talons to hold his ground as the world around him turned and defied all known laws of physics.

Shen decided that he had to defeat Pang Bing as soon as possible, so he put his new Celestial Phoenix form to the test. Using his wings, Shen jumped up as high as possible, then coated his body in fire to stay airborne. Finding the cat, the peacock rocketed forward with his Dao at the ready, launching into his Rising Phoenix attack to knock her out. To his surprise, while it did work, he saw something fly out of Pang Bing's body.

"Hah ha! You cannot hurt me now! In my astral form, I am invincible!" the cat shouted in triumph.

"But it does make you vulnerable to one of my new abilities thanks to my form," Shen said. "SPIRIT SEAL!"

In a burst of power, Shen's Guan Dao shined and drew Pang Bing into it, leaving her spirit trapped in the lance. Grabbing her body, Shen then ripped open a portal to the real world, landing in the Imperial Courtyard, his form dissipating.

"So, how did it go?" Master Chao asked, having freed the others of their bindings.

"I have captured Bing's spirit in my blade, and now I think she deserves a bit of irony," Shen said with a smirk. Grabbing a mirror, he tapped his blade to it, transferring the cat's spirit to the object.

"What? You can't keep me in here!" Pang Bing shouted.

"Actually, we can," Junjie said, taking the mirror. "Since you're in here, you'll have to do what we ask you to, as a good servant should."

 **[***]**

"… With Pang Bing defeated, Zan was able to return to his proper age, though with the added benefit of being able to return to his teenage form once per day," Karasu narrated.

"That was cool!" said one of the kids.

Soon, every one of the kids was imitating Shen, from trying to do his attacks to pretending that they were in the mirror world and doing crazy magic attacks.

"I would hope they enjoyed my story," Shen said, appearing behind Karasu.

"Oh Shen, you're here," the raven said.

"I actually came to stay and hear the rest of the stories," Shen said. "Though to do that I'll need some help from you."

The ninja smiled. "One age spell coming right up!"

In a flash of smoke, Shen was back to his child form, fitting in with the rest of the kids. Unfortunately, the other kids recognized him and swarmed him with questions. Karasu sighed. This could take a while.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Next time will be about Mei Ling and what she did after Season 2. Here's a hint: it involves Crane.**

 **Also, yes, the Mirror Dimension is a reference to Dr. Strange (love that movie!)**


	39. Secrets of the Tao Go 4

As soon as the kids were done hounding Shen with questions, Karasu was able to calm all of them down to continue his story. Picking up a scroll with the "Golden Cat" symbol on it, the raven opened it and began the tale.

"Now then, after defending al of China, Mei Ling and Master Crane decided to take a break from action and go a vacation by themselves…" Karasu began.

 **[***]**

"Mei Ling, where are we going?" Crane asked. The two had been on a trail for the past two days.

"I told you, Crane, we need to go somewhere to just hang out for once," Mei Ling replied. "And I think we're just about there!"

Coming around the corner of the trail, Crane was amazed to see a canyon village, the town surrounding a giant rock in the center.

"Welcome to the Village of Comets," the golden cat said. "A long time ago, a shooting star fell into this mountain, creating the crater. Nomads found the comet and set up a village around it. They found that the rock gave the land unique properties, like ice that never melts and pools of water that never dry up. And of course…"

As she said this, Mei Ling pointed up to the approaching night sky. Crane looked up and saw an Aurora Borealis forming in the sky. The bird was absolutely stunned at the sight.

"This is amazing," he breathed out.

The golden cat smiled. "Come on! Let's go into the village proper!"

With that, the two masters entered the Village of Comets, greeting the locals and looking at the various shops and stalls. They enjoyed foods as they made their way to their final destination. Coming up to a house, Mei Ling knocked on the door, which opened to reveal another golden cat.

"Hello Mom!" Mei Ling said.

"Mei Ling?" the cat in the door said. "Honey, our daughter is home!"

Another golden cat came to the door, this one a male. "Well well, it looks like our daughter has finally returned home," he said.

"Mother, Father, I would like to introduce you to Master Crane of the Furious Five," Mei Ling said, with Crane looking a bit nervous. "Crane, this is Yan Ling and Jin Ling, my mother and father."

"It is nice to meet one of Mei's friends," Yan Ling said.

"I smell that they might be more that 'friends,' my love," Jin Ling noted.

Both Mei Ling and Crane blushed. "Dad, don't embarrass me," the golden cat whined.

"I'm just messing with you sweetie," Jin Ling said, grabbing Crane and pulling him close. "You've been treating my daughter well, haven't you?"

"Uh, y-y-yes sir," Crane stuttered.

Yan Ling clapped her hands together. "How about I go finish making dinner while you two make yourselves at home? We still have your room set up just the way it was before you left for the academy."

As the two lovers went inside the house, Jin Ling called. "Try to keep the noise down in there. Your mother needs her beauty rest!"

"DAD!" Mei Ling shouted back, her whole facing going red at his comments.

 **[***]**

"What is Mei Ling's dad talking about?" a bunny girl asked Karasu.

The raven looked at her with a nervous expressing. "Uh… it's an adult thing. You'll learn about it when you're older."

"Is it the same thing that happened before my mom got chubby and my brother was born?" one of the kids in the back asked.

Karasu looked mortified at the kid's statement. "Uh… I'm not going to answer that. _Anyway_ , Mei Ling and Crane spent a lot of time with her parents for a few days. Until the day before they were going to leave…"

 **[***]**

That night, Mei Ling took Crane to see the Comet Springs, a cave system underneath the comet. Legend says that each of the pools of water has a different soothing or healing effect, making them a premiere destination for tourists in the village. The founders of the village, whom were Japanese Macaques, still ran the springs to this day. Tonight, however, the owner seemed to be in distress.

"What's going on?" Mei Ling asked the spring keeper.

"Oh it's terrible," the Macaque said. "A bunch of brutish men came in here dragging some helpless person with them."

"We'll deal with this," Crane said.

The two heroes went into the caves, following the sounds of distress until they came across some animals holding a poor wolf in their clutches.

"Come on guys, I tried my best. Isn't that enough?" the wolf asked.

"You aren't strong, which means you can't be a part of our group," a buff boar said.

"Hey! Let him go!" Mei Ling said, readying her staff.

The group turned around to face the two masters, which surprised Crane as he recognized them. "Wait a minute, aren't you guys students at Lee Da Academy?"

"More specifically, they're my students," Mei Ling added. "What are you guys doing here with this wolf?"

"This newbie can't keep up with our training," a rhino said. "So we decided that if he's going to be a weakling, then we'll just have to give him a more fitting form to match his weakness."

"This pool is said to turn those thrown into it into girls, so that's what we're going to do to him," a bull said.

"First of all, that's really sexist," Mei Ling said. "And second of all, girls can be just as strong as girls."

"Yeah, Master Tigress can kick all of your butts," Crane said.

Jumping into action, Mei Ling used her staff to release their grip on the wolf, followed by Crane kicking the boar in the face. The two then decided to put their powers to use, with the bird knocking everyone over with his Wings of Justice attack and Mei Ling using her Water Chi to safely grab the wolf.

"Enough of this!" the bull shouted, using his horns to catch Mei Ling's staff and throw it into another nearby pool.

"I can handle this," Crane said, stepping forward.

The opponents laughed. "You really think you can beat us with your skinny legs?" the rhino laughed.

"You should know that I've become one of the most powerful masters in the land," Crane said. "I am one of the Furious Five and a controller of the winds. So why don't you see what these 'skinny legs' can do." With a mighty caw, Crane let out a gale-force wind, knocking the rhino off of his feet and right into the pool behind him.

When the rhino came out, he was dripping wet and shivering, not expecting the water to be so cold. "I can… still beat you…" he stuttered from the cold.

"You won't be saying that for long," Mei Ling said, pointing at the rhino's feet.

When he looked down, the rhino screamed as his body was slowly coated in ice, leaving him in a comical ice cube.

"Now then, unless you two want to see what these other pools can do, I would suggest taking your friend and going back to the academy," Crane said, holding his wings at the ready.

"YES MASTER CRANE!" the boar and bull shouted, picking up the frozen rhino and high-tailing it out of there. On the way out, you could hear them tripping on the slick cave floor and falling into other pools, no doubt having other hilarious misfortunes put on them.

"Thank you," the wolf said, giving the two a bow.

"It was nothing," Mei Ling said.

"Just standing up for those in need," Crane replied.

"If I may, I would like to repay you by making you a new staff," the wolf offered. "Yours is probably stuck at the bottom of that pool, so I can make you a new one."

"That would be great," Mei Ling said with a smile. "But for now, Crane and I would like to relax _alone_."

The wolf gave them another bow goodbye while the golden cat dragged her boyfriend off to another part of the cave.

"What those guys didn't know is that I know what each pool does," Mei Ling said. "How about I show you… this one?"

The golden cat hopped into one of the pools, the water shimmering as she entered it. When she came out, Mei Ling was now not a golden cat, but a crane, though she still had the same vest, pants and scarf.

"Like what you see?" she asked with a wink. Crane, whom was blushing furiously, only nodded in response. Mei Ling giggled. "So, how about we see what you would look like as a golden cat?"

 **[***]**

"…the next day the two returned to the Jade Palace," Karasu said, closing the scroll.

"That seemed a bit anti-climactic," one of the kids said. "Did anything else happen that night?"

"Nope, nothing at all," Karasu said, a bit too quickly.

The kids, not believing him, tried to take the scroll, only for the raven to disappear into a smoke bomb to get away from all of them. Appearing up on the palace walls, Karasu sighed and put the scroll away. The scroll _did_ end there, but he knew exactly what had gone down that night.

"Come on Master Karasu, tell us what happened!" one of the kids whined.

"When you're older!" the raven replied. He pulled out the next scroll. "Now then, on with Fung's story!"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Next time, we'll see what happened to Fung's crocodile bandits.**


	40. Secrets of the Tao Go 5

**AN: Go to my profile page and vote in my poll for what new story I should do next year. Your input is valued here!**

* * *

Karasu started the next tale, reading from the scroll with the symbol for 'Crocodile' on the seal. _"Now, as some of you might know, Fung was originally the leader of a gang of Croc Bandits the lived out in the Bamboo Forest. They disbanded soon after Fung joined us here at the Jade Palace, but Fung still kept in contact with them. After not hearing back from them, the crocodile headed back to his home village to see what became of his group…"_

Fung was on the outskirts of his home town. He was a bit nervous, all things considered, seeing as he hadn't spoken to his father in such a long time. Fung's dad was notorious for using a special clay to bring his statues to life, with Kung Fu Masters frequently having to take them down. It also didn't help that he was a total deadbeat that only saw Fung as a loser.

"I just hope I don't have to deal with him," Fung muttered to himself.

The croc went into the village, where he tried to keep a low profile as to not let anyone recognize him. When Fung did find his former gang, he was surprised to see that they had taken a more spiritual calling in life. In other words…

"You guys are monks!?" Fung exclaimed

"Yes, Fung," Gahri said in a serene tone. "After losing our purpose in life yet again, we decided to find enlightenment, committing our lives to charity and helping others."

"You should join us, Fung. It really relives stress," said one of the other crocs, offering their former leader a beaded necklace.

"I'll take the gift, but I don't think the monk life is my thing," Fung replied. He then noticed something about the croc who gave this to him. "Wall-eye!? Is that you!?"

"Yeah. This whole 'finding inner peace' thing really helped with my speech and sight," Wall Eye said.

"Well, good for you then," Fung said. "Anyway, it's good to see you guys again, but I should really be going so that- "

"Well, well, well," said a voice behind Fung. Turning around, the croc saw a much larger crocodile with only a half a mustache on his face. "If it isn't the disappointment that is my son."

"Nice to see you too, _Dad,_ " Fung responded sarcastically. "What are you going to do? Tell me that mother would be so disappointed in me? Try to make me leader of your terracotta army?"

"Actually, I was going to congratulate you on becoming a master," Bing said, crossing his arms. He then smirked. "Then again, considering that you _are_ a master now, that makes us enemies." With a snap of his fingers, some terracotta warriors surrounded Fung and the Croc Monks. "I made these new statues in the guise of the Kung Fu Masters! I figured that if I couldn't beat them with my warriors, I would just copy them instead! Fight fire with fire!"

"But they're stone, not fire," Gahri said.

"Shut up Gary, he's being sarcastic," Fung said, pinching the bridge of his snout. He then pulled out his axe and took a stance. "I'm much more skilled in fighting than before, Dad, so I can easily kick you and you armies' butts."

"Now, now, this doesn't have to end in violence," Gahri said, coming between the feuding family members. "Can't we resolve this peacefully?"

In response, one of the terracotta warriors (this one looking like Master Monkey) pulled on the ends of Gahri's robes, tripping the croc.

Gahri's face hardened. "Okay then. CROC MONKS, ATTACK!"

Karasu took this moment to give an aside to the kids. _"As it turned out, while the former croc bandits had become monks, they were_ warrior _monks. And there was much butt-kicking."_

 _"Hurray!" cheered the kids._

With that out of the way, the battle was on, with Fung and the Croc Monks versus Bing's Terracotta Masters. While this battle may have seemed to be even on both sides, it was really weighed in Fung's favors. All of the crocs had become at the least competent in fighting, with the unique style of making their opponents hit each other by dodging and countering. Fung was no slouch either, with his axe and strength tearing through the defilements of his friends.

"Wait a minute, I have Earth powers now!" Fung said aloud.

With that, the battle went from one-sided to a full-on curb stomp, with the warriors breaking apart and being turned against each other by Fung. Eventually, there were no more statues left and Bing was all alone.

"Am I a disappointment now, Dad?" Fung asked.

"Your skills have improved," Bing admitted. "However, this changes nothing between you and me. You're still refusing to take part in the family business, and I'm sure your mother would- "

"I don't care what my mother would think!" Fung shouted. "She's gone, Dad, and I honestly think she had the right idea. You only care about yourself, always using the same excuse about your mustache. I think the real reason she left is because she didn't want to deal with your ego!" He turned away and walked off. "Goodbye, Dad. I hope I never see you again."

As Fung stormed off, the other crocs followed him to the town outskirts. "Fung… I…" Gahri tried to say.

"I just… wish someone in my family was a decent person," Fung whispered. "My Dad's a villain, my cousin Lidong is in prison, and my Mom… well, I never got to know her well before she left."

"But you do have family Fung," Gahri said. "You have us."

And with that, the former croc bandits group hugged around their former leader, making Fung tear up a bit.

"Guys, you're giving me crocodile tears," Fung said, smiling a bit.

 **[***]**

"Aww," all the girls said, happy about the sweet ending.

"Boring," one of the boys said.

"Where's all the fighting?" another asked.

"Not every story has to be about the fighting," Karasu stated. "Your relationships with others are just as important."

"But I want a story with more action," a bunny boy whined.

"How about one involving our master?" Shen suggested.

Ah, yes. Fenghuang does have quite a few stories with action, doesn't she?" Karasu said. He pulled out the scroll with 'Owl' written on it. "Yes, this one will do quite nicely…"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Two chapters in one day? It must be the approaching Christmas spirit that's getting to me!**

 **Fung is an interesting a tragic character when you get down to it. I personally think of him like Captain Cold and the Rouges: they're both bad guys, but they have a code they live by that puts them morally above most other villains.**

 **Next time, everyone's favorite Kung Fu owl gets her time to shine.**


	41. Secrets of the Tao Go 6

_"Fenghuang has been one of my closest friends since we met. However, while she was accepted now, she still didn't have her proper title returned to her. In order to get it back, she would have to earn it from the Grandmaster, which meant…"_

"… if you want your title back, you'll have to get it from me," Shifu said.

Fenghuang sighed. "You're going to enjoy this, aren't you, Big Ears?"

"I take my training very serious, Fenghuang," Shifu said. He smiled slightly. "But yes, this will be most interesting."

"I think Po is actually having a good influence on you," the owl joked.

"Anyway, we both know that Oogway would want us to share the title of Grandmaster at the Jade Palace," the red panda said. "However, before you earn that title, you will help me with an important task."

"This doesn't have to do with the other former Furious Five, does it?" Fenghuang asked.

"No, it has to do with the current Furious Five," Shifu explained. "You are the most advanced in Chi besides Karasu. I can teach them how to master their Kung Fu styles, but only you can help them achieve mastery of Chi."

The owl smiled. "I get it. To earn my title, must teach them their unique Chi technique."

"Do that, and you can be Co-Grandmaster of the Jade Palace with me," Shifu said.

 _"And so, Fenghuang wasted no time in teaching each of the Furious Five their ultimate Chi move, taking each of them to the place where they would connect the most with their element._ _First was Mantis, whom Fenghuang took to one of the caves beneath the Jade Palace."_

"Master Mantis, the fighter with speed and the element of Earth," the owl stated. She chuckled. "If there was a more contradicting combination than you, then I don't know it."

"What are we doing down here?" Mantis asked.

"We are down here to unlock a move that is both fast and uses the earth," the owl explained. She pointed to the cave walls. "These caves are the resting place of beasts from long ago. If you can tap into their **ancient power** , then you will find great strength."

Mantis nodded, the focused on his Chi. He sensed something different in this earth, and willed the rocks to move towards him. When he felt the earth around him, he opened his eyes and saw that chunks of rock were floating around him with some kind of energy coming off of them.

"Yes, it seems that these stones contain excess Chi in them, meaning you can take their power to boost your own skills," Fenghuang said. She then summoned her Ice powers. "Now then, let us see how you use this attack."

Mantis gave the owl a smirk, then shouted, "CHI STONE BREAKER!" and kicked the stones at her, with Fenghuang creating a shield of ice to catch the stones in.

"One down, four to go," she said with a smile.

 _"Second was Monkey, whom was taken to the Gongmen Fireworks Factory."_

"Master Monkey, the member that uses trickery and his playful nature to catch everyone off guard," Fenghuang said. "You showed skill in Metal Chi when fighting off your evil double, but now you must take your skill to the next level."

"What do I need to do?" Monkey asked.

The owl picked up a piece of scrap metal. "To complement your style, you need to find a way to distract your opponent while also setting up for an attack with your powers." She then looked at the cannons around the factory, which were currently being repurposed by the royal family for future use. "Hm, maybe something like the **flash of a cannon** , which can hit from out of nowhere and cause a distraction."

Monkey gave a thumbs up and jumped on top of one of the defunct cannons. Putting both hands on the cannon, he focused on the metal and willed it to move. When he opened his eyes, his arms were coated in the metal, though it flowed and moved like a liquid.

"Interesting. You have created a living form of metal, which you can bend to your will," Fenghuang noted. She them created a few targets out of Ice. "How about you show me some skills."

Monkey smiled, then coated his entire body in the living metal (much like a certain Russian superhero). "SIMIAN STEEL STRIKE!" he shouted, throwing punches that sent metal shards straight into the targets, breaking them. When the attack finished, the metal retreated into Monkey's body, returning to his Chi pool for later use.

"That's two, three more left," Fenghuang said.

 _"Out in the bamboo forest is where Viper, the third of the Furious Five, was to be trained."_

"Viper, out of all of the Five, you are the one farthest along with Chi training," Fenghuang stated. "As such, I shouldn't have to tell you what to do. But, as a suggestion, maybe some kind of **leaf blade** to extend your reach."

Viper focused on the plants, extending her Chi out into nature, before reeling it back in for an attack. "JUNGLE RIBBON FRENZY!" She cried, unleashing multiple vines that attached to her tail. When she pulled them back, multiple bamboo stalks were brought down to the ground.

"Yes, that will do nicely," Fenghuang said.

 _"Crane didn't have to learn a new attack, seeing as he already had his_ 'Wings of Justice' _technique, so Tigress was the last one."_

Arriving in a remote village near the south edge of China, Fenghuang stopped Tigress in front of a small hut.

"Where are we here?" Tigress asked. "I thought we would be going to a place where my element would be strongest."

"Tigress, Sacred Fire is different from normal fire. It comes from the heart of a person. One cannot truly master it until they have mended their heart," Fenghuang explained.

"I don't understand," Tigress said.

"We are here to resolve the one thing in life you never had an answer to," Fenghuang said.

With a knock on the door, the owl waited until it was answered. The person who opened the door was a tiger, around Mr. Ping's age, wearing yellow robes (they look exactly like the robes Tigress wears in the third movie).

"Who are you?" the tiger asked.

Fenghuang bowed. "I am Master Fenghuang of the Jade Palace. It is good to finally meet you, Huo, guardian of the Sacred Flame."

Huo's eyes widened. "Get inside, and don't say anything else."

Tigress and Fenghuang went inside the hut. It was a simple house, with obvious signs of living. In the main room was a picture of two tigers, one which was holding a baby in her hands.

"How did you find me?" Huo asked. "I haven't been seen in years, and the last time was- "

"Thirty years ago," Fenghuang finished. "The reason we came here is that you are the missing piece to my student here." The owl gestured to Tigress. "This is Master Tigress, Leader of the Furious Five, and Bearer of the Sacred Flame."

Huo looked at Tigress, his eyes opening in realization. "You…" he gasped out. He put a hand to her face. "I always wondered if they got you somewhere safe."

"What are you talking about?" Tigress asked, backing away from the gesture. "Who are you?"

"Tigress… a long time ago, the tigers were the guardians of the Sacred Flame, the fire of the gods given to us mortals. We were soon turned against by those that wished to kill the gods, so we had to go into hiding. The Flame would be passed down, generation to generation," Huo explained. "I was the bearer in my generation, and my family was always on the run." He looked up at the picture on the wall. "My brother had a child, and she was to be the next bearer of the Sacred Flame. My brother and his wife fled with the child, while I stayed behind to protect them."

Tigress stared up at the photo, a feeling of knowing something filling her. "And… what happened to them?"

Huo continued. "When I last saw them, they had arrived at this house, bloody and beaten, without their child. I had assumed the worst…"

Tigress looked at the child, noticing the fur patterns on its face matched her own.

"… until I saw you, at my doorstep, so many years later," Huo said, tears flowing from his eyes as he hugged Tigress.

The master tried to resist, but eventually accepted the hug and returned it. "Uncle…" she said quietly.

Fenghuang said nothing, but walked out towards the back of the house, where two spots only marked with stones and flowers stood. "She did well, you know," Fenghuang said. "Those zealots that hunted down the tigers are gone. I made sure of it. Your daughter has done much good in this world, and even found a new family to support her. Thank you for giving her another chance when you knew she could not have one with you."

Turning to go back inside, Fenghuang saw Tigress and Huo sitting in front of each other, both of them holding a ball of flame between them. When Tigress crushed the flame, he body glowed with power as her paws were wreathed in flames and her eyes glowed like a candle. "Seal of Flames," she said, creating a symbol out of fire and sending it towards Huo. When it connected, his fire went into Tigress, whom stopped glowing and returned to normal.

"The Sacred Flame is now truly yours to control," Huo said. "Your parents would be proud."

"Thank you, uncle," Tigress said. She stood up and turned to Fenghuang. "I believe it is time for us to return to our family now."

"Yes. The past has been resolved, so the future is ours to make," the owl said with a smile.

"Take this before you leave," Huo said, giving Tigress a version if his robes. "These are the robes of our clan. Your mother and father would have wanted you to have them."

"I will honor them the best that I can," Tigress said.

 **[***]**

"With her task complete, Fenghuang became Co-Grandmaster of the Jade Palace," Karasu said, finishing the story. He looked at the kids. "Now then, who wants to hear about one of my stories?"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Little known fact: the attire Tigress has in the third movie is seen in Legends of Awesomeness being worn by her parents (look it up on the KFP wiki). This is just my headcannon of what happened to her real parents.**

 **Karasu will be the final member to get his chapter, but there will be one more before season 3 starts.**


	42. Secrets of the Tao Go 7

The final scroll, emblazoned with the symbol for 'Raven,' seemed to be the oldest. Karasu opened it and read from the beginning. _"Long ago in the land of Japan, I was but a young raven training to be a ninja. This but one of those stories. It was just after I had set out on my own, learning about the legend of the Dragon of Yang…"_

In the snowy peaks of Japan, a young Karasu was sitting underneath a waterfall. The raven looked about the same as he does in the present, though he lacked his scarf and was wearing black robes instead of blue. He let the water of the falls cascade over his body, letting his mind wander in thought.

A flopping sound broke his concentration. Opening his eyes, Karasu saw a Koi Fish flopping around on the banks of the river. He got up from his meditation and grabbed the fish, tossing it back in the river.

"Thanks mister!" said the Koi.

Karasu nodded. "How did you get stuck on the banks of the river?"

"I was trying to climb the waterfall, but fell when I got up there," the fish said.

"Ah, you're trying to reach the dragon gate," Karasu said. "I've heard the stories of fish becoming dragons when they cross the gates. I wish you good luck."

With that, the ninja went on his journey, climbing up the mountain to reach the top. Along the way he stopped in a cave for the night. Starting a fire inside, Karasu closed his eyes and went to sleep. In the morning, as the embers died out, the raven walked out of the cave, continuing his journey. He came across a small village, nestled in the trees and populated by birds of all shapes and sizes.

"Halt," said an eagle, guarding the gate of the village. "State your business here."

"I am just a traveler looking for passage through your village," Karasu said. "I just need to get some supplies and I'll be on my way."

"Hmph, fine," the eagle said, moving and allowing Karasu to pass.

The raven did as he said, grabbing supplies and continuing out of the village. Just as he was going to leave, he saw a small duck sitting in the snow, holding a wing in pain.

"What is it that troubles you?" Karasu asked.

"I hurt my wing, and now I can't reach my family," the duck said.

Nodding, Karasu took out some of the herbs he had just bought and crushed them up into a powder. Spreading the powder on the duck's wing, the raven then did a few hand motions and thrust them onto the wing. Though she flinched from the pain, the duck was surprised when her wing felt better, much better in fact.

"What was that?" she asked.

"Magic," Karasu answered simply. "Now go to your family."

The duck gave her thanks and flew up to her house. Karasu smiled and went on his way, continuing up the mountain to the top. Another night passed, and another destination was found. Sitting on a rock was a frog. Karasu thought nothing of him, until a kunai knife was thrown at him.

"If you want to pass, then you will have to face me," the frog said.

In a puff of smoke, the frog was standing in front of Karasu, holding sword and wearing a ninja outfit. The raven drew his own blade, the sword gleaming with the sheen of the Masamune Blade. Starting the battle, the frog clashed his blade with Karasu's, both of them skilled with their weapons. They clashed for a while, neither of them gaining the advantage.

The next phase of the fight was purely long range, with Karasu and the frog meeting ninja star with kunai knives. The raven tried to use his bow and arrow, but the frog called on the power of water to catch the arrows.

"Well, this will be tricky," Karasu muttered. Unlike his present self, past Karasu didn't have his Chi yet, so he was at the disadvantage.

Switching tactics, the raven put his sword away to focus purely on dodging. While he could keep up with the frog's attacks, one slash from his sword made the raven flinch, his top being torn away by the blade.

"I didn't want to have to do this, but you give me no choice," Karasu said. He summoned his magic and created a smoke bomb, tossing it out to mask his escape.

Going up to the trees, Karasu drew his sword and jumped down to stab the frog from above. The frog saw the attack coming, however, and dodged it, using his tongue to disarm Karasu and pull the raven close. What the frog didn't expect, however, was for Karasu to use magic once again, turning into his female form.

"Don't you know it's rude to look at a woman topless, you perv," Karasu said.

This threw the frog off-guard, which gave the raven time to slap the tongue sway and sucker punch the frog, knocking him down. Drawing his sword, Karasu put it to the frog's throat, ending the fight.

"Very good," the frog said.

"Yeah, it was," Karasu agreed, returning to his normal from and reforming his clothes with magic.

"This is the last test you had to pass," the frog said. "Your first was the act of helping others, which you did by assisting the Koi back into the water. The second was the act of sacrifice, which you did by giving up your supplies to the duck in need to help her. Finally, you passed the act of defense by defeating me in combat."

Behind the frog, the Koi and Duck appeared, both of them glowing with spectral energy. "It is time for you to fulfill your destiny," they all said in unison.

Soon the three disappeared, only being illusions to test Karasu in his skills. The fog at the top of the waterfall lifted, revealing a Japanese gate in the water. The raven hopped across the stones and through the gate, the spiritual energy of the area gathering around him and forming into a dragon.

"It is time for my journey to truly begin," Karasu said.

 **[***]**

"… and that is how I gained my Dragon Spirit and earned my title," Karasu said, ending the story. He then noticed the sun slowing setting in the sky, indicating the coming evening. "It seems that it's time for you to return to your parents."

The kids all groaned. "Do we have to?" a bunny girl asked.

"You can come back next week to train more," Shen said, standing next to Karasu.

"Just keep training and you may become the next defenders of the Valley someday," Karasu said.

As the kids left, the raven turned to his friends, all of whom had shown up to hear their stories be told. He didn't say anything, but Karasu smiled and went back inside the Jade Palace. Going into the room where scrolls were kept, he put his friend's scrolls there, forever to be immortalized in the records.

"We have been through a lot, but there's something coming," Karasu said to himself. "We still stand strong and face this threat together, as we always have. However, I feel that it may be up to me this time finish it."

He then saw a loose scroll in the room. Picking it up, he stuffed it into his robes for later reading. Whatever it is, he could tell it would be important.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **And that is the end of the Secrets of the Tao Go min-series! Next time will be a special chapter: THE HOLIDAY SPECIAL!**

 **Do you have any ideas of what the Tao Go should give each other for the holiday? Leave your suggestions in a review below!**


	43. The Holiday Special

**HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I mean- MERRY CHRISTMAS! It's the holiday season, so it's time to see how the Tao Go celebrate the season of giving!**

* * *

It was winter time in the Valley of Peace, and while the Furious Five were celebrating with their winter feast, Karasu took his friends to somewhere more special for the season. After one hop through a portal, the Tao Go didn't end up in another world, but instead in a beautiful garden filled with cherry blossom trees. Standing in a pagoda was another raven, though this one was wearing a silky pink kimono with a tree pattern on it.

"Greetings, my son," Hikari said. "And happy holidays."

Everyone was stunned at the sight. "But, I thought your mother was dead," Shen said.

"It turns out that wasn't the case," Karasu said. "My mother is a powerful magician, a 'Sorcerer Supreme,' if you will. When our village was attacked all those years ago, she tried to perform a sealing spell to hide our village. When she was interrupted, however, the spell backfired and sealed _her_ away instead."

"I was trapped in the spirit world with no way back," Hikari explained. "I could only send a projection of my form to the mortal world, which consequently meant that my son thought I was dead."

"I found out the truth after meeting you, Fenghuang, but I couldn't do anything about it until recently," Karasu continued. "Now that I have the powers of both Yin and Yang, I was able to pull her out of the spirit world and back here."

"It really is nice to meet all of you," Hikari said. Shen then waved her wings, and in a flash of light, everyone was back at the Jade Palace, with the festivities in full swing. Everyone was in the holiday mood, and many of their friends had arrived as well: Zan and his mother, Peng and Lian, Lu Kang, Huo, the Croc Monks, Junjie and Chao, and even the Kung Fu Council and Soothsayer made an appearance.

"It's good to have you back," Karasu said, giving his mother a hug.

"It good to _be_ back," Hikari said. She then went over to the middle of the courtyard and started to hum a tune, ready to sing a song.

 **(Cue "That Christmas Feeling (Album Version)" by Oliva Olson from "Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation!")**

 **We're hanging the star above our tree,**

 **And don't it look lovely?**

 **The lights and the tinsel sparkling for you!**

As the song begins, we see Fenghuang and Shifu conversing near the Sacred Peach Tree. The owl then uses his Ice Chi to make the tree sparkle with lights. While it looks nice, a pile of snow falls and covers Shifu, whom Fenghuang laughs at.

 **I got that Christmas feeling,**

 **I take it everywhere I go.**

 **And make that Christmas feeling grow!**

We see Po and Mr. Ping serving food to everyone at the party, both father and son sharing the holiday spirit.

 **So warm by the fireplace we glow,**

 **All cozy and happy.**

 **Hang all the stockings in a row with you!**

We see Crane and Mei Ling enjoying their time together. The golden cat wraps a scarf around the bird's neck, which he glad accepts. The two are then surprised when mistletoe is held above them, courtesy of Viper. The two of them look surprised, but give each other a kiss anyway.

 **I got that Christmas feeling,**

 **I take it everywhere I go!**

 **And make that Christmas feeling grow.**

Tigress sits with her uncle, the two tigers telling stories to the children. One of the bunnies gives Tigress a plush version of the master herself, which Tigress smiles at and gladly accepts the gift.

 **It feels like Christmas,**

 **Christmas again**

As the guitar kicks in, we see more of our friends having fun, with Fung and the Croc Monks having a snowball fight that eventually everyone gets involved it. Shen uses his fire as a shield from the snow, Monkey and Mantis try to see who can hit the most people, and Karasu skillfully dodges every snowball thrown his way, until Fenghuang drops a snow bank on his head, that is.

 **I got that Christmas feeling,**

 **I take it everywhere I go!**

 **And make that Christmas feeling grow.**

We cut back to Hikari, whom dances around with Karasu as she sings.

 **It feels like Christmas (Christmas),**

 **Christmas (Christmas),**

 **Come on, I know you don't want to miss this!**

 **Let's make that Christmas feeling grow,**

 **Oh! Let's make that Christmas feeling grow!**

The song ends, which everyone claps after it's over.

"What is Christmas?" Shen asked Karasu.

"It's a holiday celebrated past the western mountains. It's similar to our Winter Festival, but with a more religious significance," Karasu explained.

 **[***]**

As the party winded down, Karasu brought the Tao Go together to exchange gifts.

"I think Xing should go first, seeing as he's the newest to our group," Karasu said.

The wolf opened his gifts first, receiving a gift from his friends: from Shen, a phoenix feather that could heal a fatal wound; from Fenghuang, a scroll to learn how to manifest a Chi Shield; from Fung, a posable figure of Xing similar to the ones Po has; from Mei Ling, a new outfit which consisted of a navy blue Kung Fu jumpsuit with the belt having the seal of the Royal Peacock family on it; and from Karasu, an amulet with the Japanese Symbol for "Lightning" on it.

"Thanks guys," Xing said with a smile.

"Okay, it's my turn now," Fenghuang stated.

This is what the own got: a figure of herself from Fung, a new outfit from Mei Ling consisting of maroon robes with a purple sash similar to the one Shifu wears, an amulet from Karasu with the Japanese symbol for "Ice" on it, a phoenix feather from Shen, and a scroll from Xing to learn a technique that would let Fenghuang blind her opponents with ice.

"These gifts are… nice," she said, barely containing her façade of indifference.

" _Sure_ they are," Mei Ling said sarcastically.

The golden cat went next: from Karasu, an amulet with the Japanese symbol for "Water;" from Shen, a phoenix feather; from Xing, a scroll with the technique to summon rain; from Fung, an action figure of herself; and from Fenghuang, a new staff that would allow Mei Ling to heal people, as well as have some control over the winds.

"Aw, you guys…" Mei Ling said. "Thanks for the gifts!"

"Fung, why don't you go next?" Shen offered.

The Croc nodded, and opened his gifts: a phoenix feather from Shen, a scroll with the technique to create crystals that stored energy for later from Xing, a new medal for his necklace from Fenghuang, an amulet with the Japanese symbol for "Earth" from Karasu, and a new outfit from Mei Ling consisting of black shorts with silver armor around the waist, wrists, and forearms.

"Heh, thanks guys," Fung said.

"Shen, you go next," Karasu said.

The peacock complied and opened his gifts: from Xing, a scroll with the technique to boost his speed with fire; from Fenghuang, a spell that would allow Shen to summon peacocks; from Karasu, an amulet with the Japanese symbol for "Fire;" from Mei Ling, a new outfit that was black with green trim and a Phoenix on the back; and from Fung, and action figure of himself.

"Thank you all," Shen said. "Now then, Karasu, it is your turn at last."

The raven nodded and opened his gifts: from Fenghuang, a Dragon Orb, which would boost his spirit dragon and elemental attacks; from Xing, a set of scrolls that held the basic techniques for the elements; from Mei Ling, a new outfit that was pure white with a golden dragon design on it; from Fung, a figure of Karasu; and from Shen, a rainbow phoenix feather, only given to those a phoenix deems worthy.

"Guys, I think you went a bit overboard with the gifts," Karasu said.

"Nonsense," Shen said. "You were the one that brought us all together, so we thought you deserved the biggest thanks of all."

Karasu didn't say anything, but his eyes filled with tears as he pulled everyone into a hug. "Thank you," he whispered.

Karasu then looked over to you, the reader, and said, "No matter if you celebrate Christmas, Hanukah, Kwanza, or any other holiday, may you share it with your family and friends."

Everyone then turned to face the reader as well, leaving us with…

"HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM TAO GO!"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **And that was the winter holiday special!**

 **Were you surprised that Hikari isn't dead? There will be more of her in Season 3, as well as the new outfits mentioned here.**

 **Speaking of Season 3, here's a preview of it, coming this Saturday after Christmas!**

* * *

 _They became masters._

We see clips of Season 1 Shen and Karasu training and fighting Tai Lung.

 _They faced the darkness._

We see clips of Season 2 Shen facing off against Dujun.

 _But now, the Year of the Dragon begins._

We see Karasu, in his new white outfit, standing in front of a portal of green energy. Out of it comes an army of jade warriors, behind them a yak with chain swords and glowing green eyes.

 **Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang**

 **Season 3**

 **The Tao Warrior arrives**

Before it ends, we see Karasu's shadow grow, revealing another raven behind him, coated in darkness with glowing blue eyes.


	44. Season 3 Episode 1 Theme 3

**AN: Here we are. The final season of "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang." It's time for the Tao Go to face their greatest challenge.**

* * *

Out in the middle of the desert, a certain portal opened up from the Spirit World. From it stepped out a bull, wearing nothing but a loincloth and a leather helmet. His long black hair hung low as his eyes glowed with a sickly jade green.

"Kai has returned!" he announced to the world.

"Hey. What's up?" asked a voice.

Kai turned to see Karasu, whose appearance had changed since we last saw him. His attire had changed to an all-white ninja suit with a golden dragon design that wrapped around the suit, along with his signature purple scarf. **(To get an idea, it looks like the DX suits from Ninjago)**

"Who are you?" Kai asked.

"Just a guy who fights for what's right," Karasu said with a shrug. "You know, if you give up now we can resolve this peacefully."

Kai laughed. "I just got back from a 500-year exile. I am Kai the Collector, the most powerful person in all of China! And you? You're just a raven with a fancy sword."

"I've faced two people that claimed the same thing," Karasu said. "Both of them are gone now, though I think you can actually back up that claim."

Kai snorted, then pulled out his chain swords. "How about I shut you up and make you my newest prize? I can sense a powerful Chi inside of you."

Karasu smirked, then put a hand on his sword. "You can try, but honestly fighting you isn't what I'm here for."

"Shut up and submit!" Kai shouted, throwing his chain swords forward.

Karasu jumped and landed expertly on the chain of one of the swords, using his momentum to vault over Kai and land where the portal was. Pulling out his sword, the raven plunged it into the ground, causing another portal to open up and suck him in.

"Thanks for the portal! Hope to kick your butt soon!" Karasu called.

Kai just stared at the raven dumbly as the portal closed. "Well that guy isn't coming back. Why you'd _want_ to go the Spirit World is beyond me." The bull then smiled. "Oh well! Time to conquer China again!"

Over in the Spirit Realm, Karasu found himself on one of the rocky outcroppings, looking out over the field of landmasses and the jade green hue. He closed his eyes, then turned around, sensing someone behind him.

"Huh, never thought you'd come to try and find me," said an older voice. Opening his eyes, Karasu came face-to-face with what looked like an older version of himself though with short head feathers and glowing blue eyes. "So, what brings you to the Spirit Realm, son?"

"Ryuu. The original Dragon of Yang, husband of the original Phoenix of Yin," Karasu said. "Also, my father that sacrificed his soul to save his son."

Ryuu smirked, letting his aura flare to show that it was tainted by dark energies; an aura befitting of a demon. "Good to know your mother didn't skip any of the details, but that doesn't explain why you came here."

"I'm bringing you back to the Mortal Realm," Karasu explained. "Kai is going to take all of us to defeat, so I think a family reunion is in order."

* * *

 **(Cue "The Weekend Whip" by the Fold)**

A Japanese guitar is heard as we see a close up on Karasu's face, his eyes closed until…

 ** _(Go!)_**

The instrumental fully kicks in as he opens his eyes, the raven jumping up and joining the rest of the Tao Go.

 ** _It's time for training and we're getting started – it's on, you know_**

We see the Jade Palace group in the courtyard, each of them preparing for a rigorous training session.

 ** _And we wanna see you whip and shout it – we rock, you roll_**

Karasu and Shen give each other a knowing look as they're teamed up against Tigress and Crane.

 ** _They say, go slow_**

 ** _And everything just stands so still_**

As the two Furious Five members jump forward, the scene goes slow motion.

 ** _We say, go-go!_**

 ** _We're ready for the fight, we know the drill_**

Shen and Karasu jump forward to meet the two, all four of them using their Chi powers with smiles on their faces.

 ** _Monday morning and we feel defeated, seems so long ago_**

We see Fenghuang standing next to Shifu, the owl looking at bit annoyed that she has to spectate instead of fight.

 ** _Tuesday's coming, we just keep on beating_**

 ** _'Til we're in our zone_**

On the other side of the field, we see Mei Ling training with Viper, the two incorporating dance moves into their fighting styles.

 ** _They say, go slow_**

 ** _And everything just stands so still_**

Fenghuang gets tired of standing around, and jumps forward to face Mei Ling, Shifu looking surprised and trying in vain to make her stop.

 ** _We say, go-go!_**

 ** _You're gonna see us rip into it_**

Mei Ling blocks the owl's attack with her staff, the two using their Chi for the next hit.

 ** _We just jump up kick back whip around and spin_**

 ** _And then we jump back, do it again_**

We see the heroes fighting off enemies made of Jade, obviously Kai's Jombies.

 ** _Ninja! (Go!) Ninja! (Go!)_**

 ** _Come on, come on - we're gonna do it again_**

The heroes take down the statues easily, but more keep coming. Karasu smirks; this'll be a challenge for once.

 ** _We just jump up kick back whip around and spin_**

 ** _And then we jump back, do it again_**

The fight cuts over to the Furious Five and Po, defending the palace from these enemies.

 ** _Ninja! (Go!) Ninja! (Go!)_**

 ** _Come on, come on – and do the Weekend Whip_**

 ** _Yeah!_**

Po does his signature belly bounce to hit an enemy away, the Five knocking down their opponents as well. As the instrumental comes back, Karasu takes his sword to a statue, a green flash blinding the screen as it transitions.

 ** _Wednesday morning and we soon discover we gotta push our game_**

In a village hidden by mountains, we see Xing trying out his lightning powers, only to zap himself in the face, causing soot to comically cover his face.

 ** _We slept through Thursday just to get it over_**

 ** _The whip's a day away!_**

Fung is seen taking a nap behind the wolf, only for Xing to shock him with a stray lightning bolt.

 ** _They say, go slow!_**

 ** _And everything just stands so still_**

Fung looks over at Xing with a mean look, the croc taking up his axe and charging at the wolf.

 ** _We say, go-go!_**

 ** _You're gonna see us rip into it_**

Xing narrowly dodges and pulls out his hammer, the two charging up Chi and crossing their weapons.

 ** _We just jump up kick back whip around and spin_**

 ** _And then we jump back, do it again_**

We see the heroes traveling the world, meeting other masters and continuing to fight the Jombies.

 ** _Ninja! (Go!) Ninja! (Go!)_**

 ** _Come on, come on – we're gonna do it again_**

Karasu and Shen see Kai shrouded in green mist, the bull raising a hand to send out more statues.

 ** _We just jump up kick back whip around and spin_**

 ** _And then we jump back, do it again_**

Over with Po, we see that he's in a village of pandas, trying and failing to teach them Kung Fu.

 ** _Ninja! (Go!) Ninja! (Go!)_**

 ** _Come on, come on – and do the Weekend Whip_**

The moment is intercut with Karasu, talking with his mother and father, with the three of them interrupted by a Jombie Tai Lung.

 ** _Yeah!_**

 ** _Yeah!_**

With that, we get to the instrumental, with a few quick scenes of some fights, Po interacting with his father, Karasu with his mother and father, and Shifu reuniting with Tai Lung (whom seems to be returned to normal), all of this at the panda village.

 ** _They say, no-no!_**

 ** _But we don't wanna sit around no more_**

A mist descends on the village, revealing Kai and his Jombie army. The heroes stand ready for a fight.

 ** _We say, go-go!_**

 ** _You're gonna see us rip into it_**

Tao Go take the lead, everyone showing of their Chi as the two armies meet.

 ** _We just jump up kick back whip around and spin_**

 ** _And then we jump back, do it again…_**

Karasu jumps through the Jombies, coming to face Kai as the song suddenly cuts off.

 ** _(And then we jump back do it again)_**

 ** _Ninja! (Go!) Ninja! (Go!)_**

 ** _Come on, come on - we're gonna do it again_**

Time returns to normal as the raven uses his Yin Yang powers, showing off his new dragon mode and the screen going into a green void.

 ** _We just jump up kick back whip around and spin_**

In a burst of flames, we see Shen, his name coming on screen as he shows off his new Celestial Phoenix form.

 ** _And then we jump back, do it again_**

 ** _Ninja! (Go!)_**

In a flash of lightning we see Xing, the wolf's name appearing as he smashes the air with his lightning charged hammer.

 ** _Ninja! (Go!)_**

 ** _Come on, come on_**

Fenghuang is next, her name appearing as she freezes the screen and throws a knife at it to shatter the ice.

 ** _and do the Weekend Whip_**

 ** _Ninja! (Go!)_**

Fung drops from the sky, cracking the ground with his earth powers as his name appears and his necklace glows with power.

 ** _Ninja! (Go!)_**

 ** _Come on, come on_**

Mei Ling does a few poses with water bubbles around her as her name appears, the golden cat kicking one off-screen.

 ** _Come on – and do the Weekend Whip_**

Finally, Karasu has his name appear as the raven combines all five of his friends' elements together, a Spirit Dragon appearing behind him.

 ** _(Jump up kick back whip around and spin)_**

All of the Tao Go appear in a group shot, each of them looking happy as they take a battle pose, ending the song.

* * *

 **[***]**

Over at the Jade Palace, the Tao Go are training in their new techniques that they had acquired during the winter festival.

"Chi Shied!" Xing called, summoning a barrier that surrounded his body in a bubble. Over the past year, the wolf had become an official Kung Fu Master, as well as the first Master Wolf in recorded history. He also had a new outfit, trading out his armor for a navy-blue jumpsuit with chainmail underneath and a belt with the Gongmen Royal Family seal on the buckle.

"Let's just see how strong this shield is," Fenghuang said. The owl threw a few shards of ice at the barrier, then creating an ice beam. The shield blocked all of the attacks, but faded when Fenghuang gave the bubble a strong punch. "So it's strong against projectiles but weak to physical attacks. Good to know." Fenghuang had changed in appearance as well, going from wearing purple to maroon robes similar to Shifu, though she had a violet sash instead of green.

"My turn!" Mei Ling called. The golden cat had made her own new outfit, consisting of an all-grey version of her normal attire, though with a turquoise belt, scarf, and foot and hand wraps. Readying her staff, she called out, "Soothing Rain!" and slammed the butt of her staff to the ground, creating a cloud overhead that made a light rain, everyone in the rain feeling a since of relief and healing.

"A healing rain, interesting. This will be good for major battles," Fenghuang stated.

"That's not all," Mei Ling said. Swinging her staff, she summoned another cloud and jumped onto it, the golden cat sitting on it as if it were solid. "I found out that clouds are made of water, so I can use my Chi to walk on one."

"Check this out: Crystal Charge!" Fung shouted. The croc stomped his feet and summoned two crystals from the ground. Bringing his fists down on them, Fung absorbed their energy, creating a glowing aura around his body. "With this power, I can boost my strength _and_ my amulet powers."

"Have you tried out the amulet I gave you?" Fenghuang asked.

Fung instantly got flustered. "Well… no, but I don't see any practical use for it," Fung said. He looked over his new attire, consisting of black shorts with silver armor around his waist and on his wrists and forearms. He also had an amulet necklace that held a different power in each amulet.

"You just don't want to be girl again, don't you?" the owl teased.

Now Fung was blushing. "Well… I… You gave this to me on purpose, didn't you!?"

Fenghuang laughed, patting Fung on the back. "Maybe, but I figured it would be better if you could control your body instead of having to rely on Karasu's magic. Your amulets let you change your body, so giving you one with a form you've already taken seemed like the best course of action."

"Anyway," Shen said, interrupting the two, "we really should be more worried about where Karasu went. He's seemed more tense than usual." The peacock walked over to the palace doors, looking down into the village. Idly he adjusted his robes, which were an off-black color with green trim and a green phoenix in the back. "I wonder how Po is doing down in the village…" he thought aloud.

In a flash of power, a portal opened up behind the peacock. Everyone turned to see Karasu jump out of the portal, along with another raven with blue eyes. "Hey guys," Karasu greeted. "How would you like to meet my Dad?"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Time for Season 3 to start! Just as in the third movie, a big focus will be on family, but especially Karasu. We'll be getting some more backstory on the raven and his family as they fight Kai and his army.**

 **Also, the story will be off-focused from the plot of the movie. The Tao Go aren't going to be in the panda village until the final battle; instead, they're going to be going around China with the Furious Five to help the other masters stop Kai.**


	45. Season 3 Episode 2

To say that the others were surprised would have been an understatement. For all the time they had known Karasu, never once had the raven mentioned his father, leading each of them to their own conclusion onto why that was. In the meantime, the team met up with Hikari in the cave Karasu would do his training in, which Fenghuang had dubbed "The Dragon Den."

"So, you finally met him, my child?" Hikari asked Karasu.

"Yes mother, I have," Karasu replied.

"Then it is time I told you the story of why he disappeared when you were so young," the mother raven said.

"Sit tight, this could get complicated," Ryuu said.

 **[***]**

 _"In our homeland of Japan, your father and I were our generation's Phoenix of Yin and Dragon of Yang, defending the country in much the same way you do here in China. We were overjoyed when we had Karasu, but our happiness wouldn't last. You were five when it happened, during one of the worst snowstorms in our village's history…"_

It was the middle of winter and Karasu's village was covered in snow. Up in the nearby mountains, Hikari and Ryuu were trying to get down to the village, with the mother holding a young Karasu in her wings.

"We need to get Karasu somewhere safe for the night!" Hikari called over the storm. She was using her phoenix powers to keep her son warm, but it would only do so much if the storm continued.

"There's a cave up ahead, we can stay there," Ryuu called.

Heading into the cave, the couple set up a fire for the night, wrapping up Karasu and putting him to bed. As they all went to sleep, the fire started to flicker late into the night, until a wind blew it out entirely. Karasu was then awoken by what sounded like singing, the young raven getting up and going towards the entrance of the cave. There he found a lovely snowy owl, about Fenghuang's height and wearing a white dress, singing a soothing if haunting melody.

"Oh hello, little one," the woman said in a trance-like voice. "I've come from the village in search of you. I'm here to take you home."

Karasu smiled and nodded (he didn't talk much as a kid), taking he owl's wing and going into the snow. Not long after that, Ryuu woke with a start, and noticing that Karasu was missing, woke Hikari up and ran out of the cave to find their son.

"KARASU!" they called out.

It was then that Ryuu heard the same song his son had heard. "Oh gods, not _her_ ," he said, running towards the voice. Drawing his sword, Ryuu came face to face with the owl, along with the freeing body of his son. "YOU!" he shouted. "How dare to you take my son!"

"Oh, but it is too late," the owl said. "Your son is mine, as all that wonder this mountain are mine." She gave a creepy, sadistic grin. "All that is left is to seal his fate with a kiss."

"Ryuu, where'd you go?" Hikari called, coming towards the group. When she saw the scene, she gasped in horror. "No… the Yuki Onna, the Snow Woman." Seeing Karasu, the mother ran forward, only to be stopped by the owl.

"Now now, I have no use for you," the Yuki Onna said. "There is nothing you can do for your son."

"Don't you dare hurt her," Ryuu growled, slicing at the monster's wing to free his wife.

The raven met the owl in combat, using his sword to combat the monster's snow. When it was clear that this would end in a standstill, Ryuu channeled his Chi into his sword and sliced, sending out a Spirit Dragon in a similar fashion to how his son would in the future.

"ENOUGH!" the Yuki Onna shouted. She scooped up Karasu's body and pulled it close. "I tire of this. Children have such weak souls, easily influenced by creatures like me. You've lost, and his soul will me _mine._ "

Ryuu paused, then looked over to Hikari. She was in tears, her tears freezing in the harsh snow. The Dragon of Yang sighed, then dropped his sword to the ground. "I give up," he said. "Yuki Onna, I offer myself in the place of my son. My soul will be more fulfilling to you than that of a child."

"Oh, now this is interesting," the Yuki Onna said. She dropped Karasu (whom Hikari caught) and walked towards Ryuu, grabbing the raven and pulling him up to meet him face-to-face. "The Dragon of Yang giving his own life for his son. Now that is an interesting turn."

"Ryuu, you can't," Hikari said. "How can I go on without you… how can Karasu live without you?"

"My flower, it is our duty as parents to do anything for our child, and I am more than willing to give my life for Karasu," Ryuu said, a tear in his eye. "Train him in your magic, and train him with my sword. I might not be there in person, but I will be there in spirit, always."

With that, the Yuki Onna pulled Ryuu in for a kiss, the raven struggling before being overcome by the creature's nature, his soul leaving him and his body freezing over and shattering into ice. The snowstorm faded as the Yuki Onna left, leaving Hikari with only Karasu and her husband's sword.

 **[***]**

"After that, I found myself in the Spirit World, though not without some… altercations," Ryuu explained. "Seeing as my soul was taken by the Yuki Onna before my body perished, I had become a Yokai, a Japanese Spirit/ Monster/ Demon with no way back to the Mortal Realm."

"But how did you get back here then?" Shen asked.

"Yokai can go into the Mortal Realm, but some have trouble coming back from the Spirit World," Karasu said. "I just had to jump into the Spirit World and bring him out, similar to what I did for my mother."

"I'm glad that your family is back together again," Mei Ling said with a smile.

As everyone talked about the two raven parents, Karasu got an odd feeling in the back of his head. "Guys, I think there's something going on at the Palace," he said.

"I sense it too," Ryuu said.

With that, all of then headed back to the Jade Palace, where they found Po and the Furious Five facing off against what looked to be Jade Statues.

"What the heck?" Fenghuang said. She quickly threw a punch at one of them, smashing it but wincing from the hit. "Does anyone know what these things are."

"Some kind of jade zombies," Tigress said. "They showed up out of nowhere."

"Jade zombies?" Po repeated.

"Jombies!" Monkey and Po said at the same time.

"This only means one thing," Karasu said, stabbing his sword into one of the Jombies. The magical properties of his sword made it so he could easily slice them up. "Kai has started his return."

"Kai? As in the guy that Oogway banished 500 years ago," Fenghuang asked.

"Yep, that's the one," Karasu said.

"Then we have to time to waste," Hikari said, using her magic to toss the Jombies around. "I heard about him while in the Spirit World. We'll have to use a unique Chi that only the pandas are said to have."

"Luckily for us, the Dragon Warrior just happens to be a panda," Shen said. He then got annoyed by all of the Jombies. "Alright, time for these guys to go. FIREWORK SHOT!" Using his powers, Shen shot out a Spirit Phoenix, which scooped up the Jombies and took them up into the sky, blasting them away in a fireworks display.

"Nice job, Prince of Gongmen," Ryuu said.

"Okay, freaky Jombies, and now there's another raven," Po said.

"Oh, I haven't introduced you guys yet," Karasu noted. "This is Ryuu, my father."

"No way! You met your Dad today too!?" Po shouted. Her grabbed Karasu and dragged him inside. "I have to introduce you to my Dad!"

"Po!' Tigress called, interrupting the panda. "Maybe we should focus on getting information on this 'Kai' before anything else."

 **[***]**

With the information obtained and the introductions given, it was decided that Po would go with Li Shan, his father, to the panda village to learn Chi, as even Fenghuang had to admit that she couldn't teach the panda. The others would stay at the Jade Palace and prepare for the upcoming fight with Kai, traveling across China to help the other masters before Kai could take their Chi.

"Alright, we'll need to split up into teams," Fenghuang said. "Crane, Mantis, and Mei Ling will go out to the western desert. Tigress, Viper, Monkey, and Shifu will stay here to defend the palace. Shen, you'll take Xing and Fung to Gongmen to check on the Kung Fu Council. Karasu, you can go with your parents to try and track Kai down, as the three of you seem to have the most knowledge in dealing with him."

"And what about you?" Shifu questioned.

"I'll be going to the Imperial City to check on the kids," the owl said.

"before you guys go, take these," Karasu said. He handed each of the Five an amulet with the symbol for their element, along with one for 'Time' to Shifu. "These will help to increase the strength of your Chi, which will be key in holding Kai off until Po is ready."

With their missions set, each group set off on their mission, ready for the battle of their lives.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **And so the backstory of Hikari and Ryuu is explained. A Yuki Onna is a real Japanese Yokai, taking the form of a woman to lure men into the snowy mountains to die.**

 **Also, I glossed over the majority of Po's stuff for two reasons. One, I wanted to focus on what the masters were doing, as a majority of what happens in the Panda Village is non-consequential until Kai shows up. Two, it will lead to more action sequences if we go around China.**

 **Also, I haven't been able to find a good transcript for the third movie, so a lot of the dialogue will be completely original, though considering everything in season 2 was original, I don't think most of you will mind.**

 **Next time on "Phoenix of Yin, Dragon of Yang," Team Crane goes on a desert adventure to face some terrifying Jombies!**


	46. Season 3 Episode 3

Out in the desert, Crane, Mantis, and Mei Ling were making their way across the scorching sand, alongside Masters Croc and Chicken. They had been given word that Kai might be hiding out here, but were having trouble with the heat. Luckily, Mei Ling was able to use her staff to summon a cloud to cover their heads from the sun.

"Okay, doesn't anyone else feel like this is a trap?" Crane asked. "I mean, Kai just _happens_ to be out here in the middle of nowhere, that just screams trap."

"You worry too much, my avian friend," Croc said. "Together we can easily win this fight!"

Chicken gave a battle cry in response to his companion. Mei Ling didn't say anything, but silently agreed with her boyfriend that this whole situation was very strange. Eventually, the group came across an overturned boat half-buried in the sand.

"There's where he's hiding," Croc said. He charged forward with a cry, Chicken and Mantis following suit.

"I'm going to fly up and make sure the sky is safe," Crane said.

Mei Ling nodded, taking out her staff and heading around to the backside of the boat. As Crane soared higher, he saw a flash of green down below, and looked in horror as Croc and Chicken emerged as Jombies. The bird tried to fly around to warn Mie Ling, but a chain sword was thrown out of the boat, wrapping him up and pulling him into the boat.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here," Kai said. "You're the first master today to hold a lot of Chi, which means you'll have the honor of being one of my strongest warriors."

Kai's hand started to glow with power, and Crane closed his eyes as a draining feeling came over him. He braced himself, but opened his eyes when he felt the sensation leave him.

"What the hell…" Kai said. "Why can't I drain your Chi?"

"Let go of my friend, you long-haired freak!" Mantis shouted, jumping out of nowhere and kicking Kai's wrist, making him drop Crane.

"Thanks Mantis," the bird gasped. He scooped up the bug and placed him on his hat, getting out of the boat and away from Kai.

"Guys, are you okay?" Mei Ling asked.

"We're fine, for now," Crane said.

"What's up with your amulet?" Mantis asked.

Crane looked down to see that the amulet that Karasu had given him was glowing with power. "Maybe this is why Kai couldn't take my Chi," he wondered out loud.

There was a sudden rustling from the boat, and then an explosion as Kai broke through it with a burst of power, looking absolutely livid. "Don't think you can get away from me! I may not be able to take your Chi now, but sure as well can when your nothing but a stain in the sand."

The bull pulled off one of his amulets, throwing it onto the ground as it formed into a massive shark.

"Huh, I didn't realize there was a Master Shark," Mei Ling noted.

"That's because he's been dead for decades," Crane said

The Master Shark Jombie burrowed his way into the sand, swimming rapidly towards out heroes. Crane picked up his two companions, using his Wind Chi to soar up extra high to avoid the shark. Mei Ling then created a cloud platform for them to stand on and plan their attack.

"Master Shark was said to be weak to lightning. Oh, how I wish Karasu or Xing where here right now," Crane moaned.

"If only you were like that sexy evil version you guys fought that one time," Mantis joked.

 _'Mantis thought I- I mean Guan- was sexy?'_ Crane thought to himself.

"We might be able to do that," Mei Ling said. "Guan was the one to swap our elemental alignment, so that means that you and I are connected."

"I bet in more ways than one," Mantis commented with a sly grin.

Mei Ling swatted the bug with her staff, hitting him off of the cloud and down towards Kai and his Jombie Master Shark. "Anyway, we might be able to tap into some of that power to summon a storm."

"Let's do it," Crane said.

Meanwhile, Mantis as running for his life from Master Shark, barely dodging the massive jaws of the Jombie. "HE'S A FISH WHY IS HE SO FAST ON LAND!?" Mantis shouted. The bug continued to barely dodge the shark until Crane came down and picked Mantis up once again. Mei Ling then jumped down at Master Shark, shoving her staff into the Jombie's mouth to keep it open.

"Crane, now!" She shouted.

"I really don't want to do this," the bird said. His gaze then became more confident. "But for the fate of China, I will." Crane flew upwards, higher than he'd ever gone before. The clouds gathered around him as Mei Ling gathered them into rain, and at his peak, he gathered the winds, creating a thunderstorm with himself in the middle. "STORM OF JUSTICE!" Crane shouted, going into a spiraling nosedive as the lighting gathered around him, shooting into Master Shark and blowing the Jombie into pieces.

"Huh, didn't expect that much resistance from you guys," Kai said, returning Master Shark to amulet form. "But it doesn't matter. I'll just deal with you myself."

"Maybe another time," Mei Ling said, helping Crane up from the ground and putting him on a cloud.

Before any of them could react, Kai threw one of his chain swords and wrapped it around Mantis, pulling the bug in a ripping off his amulet. "Won't be needing this!" Kai shouted, thrusting a glowing hand into Mantis and turning him into a Jombie.

"Mantis… no…" Crane muttered, weak from the giant attack he had just preformed before passing out.

"We can't help him right now. It'll be up to Po to free him," Mei Ling said, hopping on the cloud and flying away from Kai.

 **[***]**

Out at the edge of the desert, Karasu and his family were waiting for Crane's team to return.

"So, son. How's life been?" Ryuu asked.

"Oh, you know, my entire village was slaughtered, an evil version of my best friend tried to kill everyone, I stabbed my best friend through the heart, everything is just fine," Karasu said.

"Okay, ease up on the passive-aggressiveness," Ryuu said, backing up a bit.

Karasu sighed. "Sorry, it's just that I'm really focused on stopping Kai at the moment, but I _can't_." He clenched a wing into a fist. "Po is the Dragon Warrior, Shen is the Celestial Phoenix, and me? I'm just a guy with a sword that brought a group together." He turned to his father. "I'm not asking to be the big hero, but I want to be the one to save someone for once. Everyone I helped saved themselves, I just made sure they stayed on the right path."

Ryuu took a thinking pose, then turned to Hikari. "Honey, I think we should tell him about the thing."

"It's about time," Hikari said. "Karasu, when the Phoenix of Yin and Dragon of Yang have a child, their first-born is a perfect balance of Yin and Yang, Dragon and Phoenix: the Tao Dragon."

Before she could continue, Mei Ling and Crane showed up, dropping off of the cloud and right in-between the ravens.

"Mei Ling!" Karasu said. "What happened?"

"Kai set up a trap, and took the other masters and Mantis," she explained. "Crane's also used a lot of Chi, and hasn't woken up since."

Ryuu and Hikari looked over Crane. "He's breathing, but whatever attack he used must have draining a lot of Chi," Hikari said.

"He also seems affected by some sort of demon Chi," Ryuu noted. "Have you guys met any demons."

"Well, we did encounter an evil version of Crane that we saved from a demon, and she switched our elemental alignment," Mei Ling explained.

"Well, there's your problem," Ryuu said. "By using the last of her demon powers to switch your elemental alignments, your bodies haven't fully adjusted yet. By using so much Chi, Crane has gone into a trance-like state so his body can adjust to his new Chi. He'll be fine."

"For now, let's get you guys to the panda village," Karasu said. "The Jade Palace isn't safe, so go there for now. We'll meet you guys there after we check on everyone else."

Mei Ling nodded, then picked up Crane and ran off to go join Po at the panda village.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Well, we've lost one member of the Jade Palace group, and Crane has been put out of commission.**

 **Karasu, however, is starting to learn more about his heritage, while also expressing some of his desires as a hero. He wants to truly make a difference and not just be a supporting hero.**

 **Next time, we head to Gongmen and Team Shen!**


	47. Season 3 Episode 4

"You know, I already have to deal with my father's terracotta army, so I'm honestly okay with fighting statues," Fung said.

Currently Shen, Xing, and Fung were in Gongmen City, where they arrived just in time to find the Jombie versions of the Kung Fu Council (sans Croc). Shen really didn't have a concern about their situation, considering he (at least in another timeline) was able to hold off the council by himself. Xing was meeting Thundering Rhino hammer to hammer, only to lose his own hammer and be knocked away. Fung, meanwhile, was fighting Storming Ox, barely holding him off from running the crocodile over.

"Fung, I think you might be able to defeat these guys," Shen stated, shooting some fire at the Wolf Boss Jombie. It honestly disturbed the peacock that Kai had brought Wolf Boss back from the dead, especially after getting to bond with Xing for about a year.

"I can?" Fung asked, still holding off Ox.

"You have Earth Chi, yes? Jade is a type of stone, so use it!" Shen commanded.

Fung nodded, then focused his Chi into the Ox Jombie. It took some effort, but eventually Ox backed off, taking a neutral stance. "Okay, I think I got it," Fung said, waving to Shen. To his surprise, Ox followed his movements. "Oh, this is going to be fun," the croc said, smiling while punching a fist into his hand.

Controlling Storming Ox like a puppet, Fung tackled Thundering Rhino, giving Xing time to recover. It turned out that Jombies were like diamonds, where they could do more damage to each other. While Rhino was a more combative fighter than Ox, as a Jombie he was crippled by not being able to think for himself, meaning the most inexperienced fighters like Fung could outthink a Jombie with some effort.

"This is so cool!" Fung shouted, doing a victory pose (which looked silly coming from Storming Ox).

Just as Thundering Rhino was about to recover, Xing ran over, smashing the Jombie's hea in with the Cloud Hammer. "He's going to have a major headache when he reforms," the wolf said. He then twirled the hammer experimentally. "I like this hammer. I think I'm going to keep it."

Shen, meanwhile, stabbed his Dao into the Wolf Boss Jombie, charging the weapon with Celestial Fire, which made the Jombie crumble and turn into some sort of amulet. Curious, Shen picked it up, seeing that there was an etching of a wolf head on it. "Curious," the peacock said to himself. He then tossed the amulet to Fung. "Fung, you're the most experienced with amulet magic. See if you can find out how this works."

Heading back inside the Palace of Sacred Flames, the team made sure that the King and Queen were safe.

"Shen, have you knocked some sense into the council?" the King asked.

"We have defeated them for the moment, father, but I fear that it might be because of us that Kai sent the Jombies in the first place," Shen said.

"We understand if you must go to protect the city," the Queen said. "Before you go, however, please take these to aid you."

Calling one of the palace servants, the trio of heroes were given a bag of items.

"These are some of our finest fireworks, straight from the royal vault," the King explained. He gave his son a cheeky look. "I know how much you like your explosives, Shen, so why don't you share that with our enemies."

"Let's see ow Kai fares against the Peacock family's strongest weapon," Shen said. "By the way, how are those cannons doing?"

"After returning them to the factory, we were able to set them up to defend our city," the Queen said. "We will make sure your legacy is one of defense instead of destruction."

Shen smiled. "Let's go, team. We have a bull to defeat."

 **[***]**

Over with Karasu's family, the trio of ravens were making their way to the Imperial City when they were intercepted by Shen's group.

"Shen! How is Gongmen?" Karasu asked.

"The Council was already lost, but we managed to defeat them, as well as some old ghosts," Shen explained.

"Hey, are those some new amulets Fung?" Hikari asked.

"Oh, yeah. We managed to beat those Jombies and turn them into amulets, which apparently I can control," the croc said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Interesting. That means the more Jombies we defeat, if we can get their amulets to you before Kai recalls them, we can drastically reduce his army," Ryuu stated.

"I also got this sweet hammer!" Xing exclaimed, holding up the cloud hammer.

"You're going to give that back when we're done and Thundering Rhino is restored, right?" Karasu asked.

"Nope!" the wolf replied.

The ninja raven sighed. "Okay then. Fung, Xing, you guys head to the panda village and take out any Jombies you find. Shen, we're going to take a trip to the Imperial City to help Fenghuang."

As the team split up, Ryuu and Hikari decided to explain exactly what Karasu's powers were.

"The Tao Dragon is a perfect combination of the Phoenix and Dragon. It is said that it looks like a shining golden dragon with feathers instead of scales what shine with prismatic light when it moves. Its power is pure Aether, a mix of all of the ninja elementals that can only be wielded by one person at once. When one Aether users dies, another born, though not always as the Tao Dragon."

"The most powerful ability of the Tao Dragon is the power to make their own destiny."

"Make my own destiny?" Karasu asked.

"Yes. There will come a time, probably soon than later, where you will be given a chance to define how this world continues," Ryuu said. He nudged his son. "You said you want your big hero moment, right? Well, you'll get your chance then."

"It's not the whole 'hero thing' I want, it's to feel like I made a difference for myself for once," Karasu admitted.

"Karasu, I would like to bring up everything you've done," Shen said. "You helped me become the warrior I am today. You turned Fenghuang back to the right path. You gave Fung a purpose besides being a bandit. Heck, it's because of you that Crane and Mei Ling reunited." The peacock smiled. "If you need to find your purpose, then let us return the favor in helping with that."

Karasu smiled, but then looked off in the distance. "We got company," the ninja said, drawing his sword.

Indeed, a Jombie was coming towards them. Taking a leap, the enemy made a superhero landing in front of everyone, revealing a blast from the past: Tai Lung.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **Oh snap! Tai Lung is back for a rematch against Shen and Karasu! But before we find out how that fight is going on, we'll see how Fenghuang is doing with Junjie's group at the Imperial Palace!**


	48. Season 3 Episode 5

"Zan? Peng? Lian?" Fenghuang called as she walked through the Imperial Palace. She had gone into the catacombs of the palace, where Junjie had told the kids to go when the Jombies had shown up. The fox had been injured, but Fenghuang had pulled him to safety and sealed the catacombs with ice.

"Don't shout so loud they might her you," Junjie scolded.

"We're the only ones down here, we're fine," Fenghuang retorted.

Coming up to the main chamber of the catacombs, the two masters entered a large room filled with terracotta soldiers, all standing guard in front of a terracotta chariot that held a tomb on it. This was the tomb of a great emperor that united China into one country, whom had commissioned his tomb to be guarded by stone warriors, one for each man in his army.

"Jeez, this guy had a big ego, didn't he?" Fenghuang said, only getting a knowing glare from Junjie in response.

"Ms. Fenghuang, over here!" Zan called, the little goose standing on the chariot.

The two masters headed over there, finding Lu Kang and Long standing there as well. While the Emperor's grandson looked fine, the snow leopard had seen better days, one of their arms coated in Jade.

"What happened to you?" Junjie asked.

"Peng was attacked by Kai, but I saved him from turning fully into a Jombie," Long explained. "We have to stay fused or else he'll turn completely.

"Then we need to get out of here," Fenghuang said. There was a loud crash from the entrance to the catacombs. "Preferably now. Do you have a plan to get out of here, fox boy?"

"I do, actually," Junjie replied. "Zan, why don't you show Fenghuang that technique you learned."

"Okay!" the goose replied. Concentrating and sticking his tongue out, everyone was surrounded by a golden light, which swirled around them and whisked away just as the Jombies converged on their location.

 **[***]**

"This is surprisingly easy," Karasu said, blocking a fist with his sword as Shen backed him up with flames.

"Truly. I really don't see a threat in these Jombies," the peacock replied.

"Oh look, our son is fighting stone zombies with his friend," Hikari said, standing off to the side of the fight.

"Shouldn't we be helping them?" Ryuu asked.

"We can handle this, dad," Karasu called, stabbing his sword into Tai Lung's chest. When he pulled it out, the statue crumbled back into an amulet, just in time for a golden light to land nearby.

Out of the light came Fenghuang's group, whom immediately turned to see Karasu's team.

"Uncle Shen!" Zan cried, running over to hug the peacock.

"Zan. What brings you here?" Shen asked.

"Oh, you know, Kai chasing us around the Imperial Palace so we had to make a hasty exit," Fenghuang said dismissive.

"I can teleport thanks to Master Junjie!" Zan said with a cheer.

As the group reconvened, Tai Lung's amulet started to glow, flying off to a massing group of Jombies with a figure running towards them. It was Tigress, looking worse for wear, whom jumped up and grabbed Tai Lung's amulet before it could get back to Kai.

"Guys, we have a problem," Tigress said, panting and out of breath. She held up two other amulets. "Viper and Monkey were turned, but I managed to save their amulets. Master Shifu, though, he…"

Karasu put a hand on her shoulder. "He sacrificed herself to save you, I'm sure of it."

"I don't mean to interrupt this touching moment, but Kai has his army over there. We should probably get out of here and get to the others," Fenghuang said.

"Zan is going to need some time to recharge his Chi," Junjie said.

Karasu drew his sword and faced the crowd, his parents standing beside him. "Those amulets you have, Tigress, you need to get them to Fung. Fenghuang, get as far away from here as possible to protect Zan."

"What about you?" Shen asked.

The raven smirked. "Kai can't do a thing to us. We'll be fine."

Charging forward, the three raven warriors went head-long into the Jombie hoard. Hikari summoned a spear made of the finest ivory, the spearhead twirling around elegantly like a dancer wreathed in flames. Ryuu, meanwhile, summoned a battle axe made of onyx, lightning crackling fiercely off of it as it hacked through the jade minions.

"Oh man, it's good to be back!" Ryuu shouted, his eyes glowing with blue energy as he put his powers to use. He turned one of his hands into a demonic claw and grabbed a handful of the Jombies, holding them in place to lob their heads off with his axe.

"It has been a while since we've gotten into a proper fight, hasn't it?" Hikari responded. She used her magic to create multiple copies of herself, each of them thrusting their spear forward to clear out an area from within the hoard.

"I'm just glad that the three of us can finally fight as a family," Karasu said. Summoning his spirit dragon, he flew up and threw his sword down, the blade creating a massive shockwave of elemental energy. "Hey, how about we team up to deal with the rest of these guys?"

Karasu parent's nodded, getting close to their son. The three held out their weapons, which glowed with power. "The Power of the Sun," Hikari said. "The Courage of the Moon," Ryuu said. "And the Wisdom of the Twilight," Karasu said. "TRI-FISISHER!" they shouted in unison, slashing their weapons and creating a massive energy wave the instantly reverted the remaining Jombies back into amulets.

"Wow… that took a lot out of me," Karasu said. "This is the lowest on Chi I've had in like… forever."

"At least we bought everyone time to get out of here," Hikari said, dissipating her spear.

"Now we just need to get to the panda village and rally the troops for our assault on Kai," Ryuu said, also dissipating his weapon.

Karasu turned to his parents, ready to go, until a blade was sent through his back.

"KARASU!" his parents cried as the blade was pulled out, Kai retracting the blade back to his arm.

"Well that's one thorn in my side gone," Kai said. "If you can't take a guy's Chi, then taking him off the playing field is the next best thing."

 **[***]**

"Well, that kinda sucked," Karasu said, appearing in the spirit world not long after Kai had stabbed him. "I was hoping that I would die in battle or of old age, but no, stabbed through the back." Taking a thinking pose, he looked out into the expanse of the Spirit Realm. "So my parents are probably pissed and either ran back to join the group or attacked Kai in revenge for me. Now, I'm pretty sure Po will take care of Kai, but I was hoping to actually be there."

"Then you won't have to wait long," said a voice behind Karasu. The raven turned and saw a jackal standing behind him, covered in glowing golden runes.

"Wow, I didn't expect Death to be sexy," the raven said.

The jackal flinched. "Hey! I didn't choose how I appear in the afterlife! It's not my fault I have to wear this while on duty," she said, gesturing to her strapless white top and skirt. She then took a deep breath. "Anyway, I'm here to restore you back to the real world. Usually I only deal with lost souls, but you're a special case. The world needs the Tao Dragon."

"Okay. I thought it was a bit weird that my death was super sudden," Karasu said.

"Yeah, the author really just wanted to skip to the big fight," the jackal said.

As a portal was opened back to the mortal world, Karasu turned back to the jackal. "Will I see you again?" he asked.

"Maybe," she said coyly. "Just don't die again."

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **We're coming up to the end of this story. Chapter 50 is the magic number we're shooting for. I'm sorry if it seems like I'm rushing through to the end, but I'll be upfront: I have other stories I want to get to and I've been focused on "Kung Fu Academia."**

 **That being said, I really want this ending to be a solid conclusion to Karasu's story, so stay tuned for the two-part finale "Tao Warriors."**


	49. Season 3 Episode 6

Everyone arrived at the Panda Village, where Xing and Fung had little time to greet everyone before the news was given.

"Karasu has fallen in battle," Ryuu said. "We must honor his memory by taking down Kai once and for all."

Fung and Xing looked shocked, with the croc gritting his teeth and stomping on the floor. "That yak and his stupid statues are going to pay for killing my friend," Fung said, tightening the wraps on his wrists.

"Agreed, but we must be smart about this," Shen said. He held up the amulet Karasu had given him. "I noticed that the power coming from them wore off as soon as Karasu died. That means that none of us are immune to Jombification anymore."

"Well, my wife and I still are," Ryuu noted.

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" Fenghuang questioned.

"First of all, I don't have a soul, so there's not Chi to take from me," Ryuu said. "Second, Hikari doesn't even have Chi, just pure magic."

"Guys, should I be doing anything?" Po asked, joining the conversation.

"Oh, Po, glad you're safe," Tigress said. "How's it going with your father."

"Well, dad- Mr. Ping- snuck in my luggage and then I tried to teach everyone how to fight but that's not going to well and…" Po rambled on, Tigress just nodding and only half listening to the panda.

"We don't need experience, we just need numbers," Shen said. The peacock may not have been a warlord in this world, but he was still a master of strategy. Heading into the middle of the village, Shen gave off a cry that caught everyone's attention. "Listen up! I am Lord Shen, heir of Gongmen and the Celestial Phoenix. I was there when your original village was burned to the ground, and the one that saved Po all those years ago."

He looked out to see faces full of confusion and fear. "It was because of my general that your village was destroyed, but I will not let anyone die in vain today. If we work together, Pandas, Furious Five, Dragon Warrior, and Tao Go, we can face anything that comes our way."

Li Shan, Po's biological dad, stepped forward. "How can we? They have an army, and we're mostly just farmers."

"My friend told me that some of the fiercest warriors in his land were farmers," Shen said. "Now then, let's get down to business. Fung, get to work on restoring the Furious Five and Tai Lung out of their amulet forms. Fenghuang, you're an expert and Chi, see if anyone here has potential for elemental power. Everyone else, let's get prepared."

As everyone went to do their jobs, Shen turned around. "I know you're there, Karasu. You can come out now."

The raven appeared from behind a pole (which really shouldn't have been able to hide him but hey, Ninja Magic), shrugging sheepishly. "Aw, I was going to wait for the battle to start and make my epic entrance."

"Shut up and get over here," Shen demanded.

The two friends hugged it out, glad that other was safe, before going to join the others in reunion.

 **[***]**

After much crying, hugging, and a scolding from Fenghuang and Hikari, Karasu was ready to lead the charge against Kai's army. Shen stood next to him, as well as his parents. Fung had also managed to restore the Furious Five and Tai Lung to normal by using his Earth Chi to extract that jade that was blocking their spirit's from returning to their bodies, which alongside Hikari's magic let everyone return to normal.

"Oh thank the gods I can feel my everything again," Monkey said, hugging himself tightly.

"Now we just need to get Mantis back and everyone will be here," Viper said.

"And Shifu, we need to get Shifu as well," Crane pointed out.

Meanwhile, Long was able to separate back into Peng and Lian again, Peng being cured and able to be himself again.

"I think it's time for the big final battle to start," Ryuu said, pointing towards the oncoming storm of green smoke.

"Pandas! Your reckoning has come!" Kai announced.

Po stepped forward to say something, only for Karasu to hold up a wing. "Po, let me handle this. You can be a bit… taunting when confronting people." He turned to Kai. "You aren't going to last against all of us! Peace will be restored."

"Didn't I just kill you earlier?" Kai asked. "Bah, whatever, I'll just get to kill you again. Warriors, get them!"

"Everyone, to battle!" Shen shouted.

 **(Cue "Back from the Dead" by Skillet)**

 _ **(B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back**_

 _ **B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back)**_

Everyone lined up and charged, the music starting out softer as the song started.

 _ **B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back!**_

 _ **B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back!**_

As the vocals and instrumentals kicked into gear, the two armies converged into battle.

 _ **Cold and black inside this coffin**_

 _ **Cause you all try to keep me down**_

Karasu uses his sword to cut down multiple Jombies at once, his Chi spiking to the max as his spirit dragon was now perpetually moving with his sword.

 _ **How it feels to be forgotten**_

 _ **But you'll never forget me now**_

Ryuu puts his full demon powers to use, his body morphing into a giant demonic raven with blades for feathers. Hikari jumped onto her husband's back and created a magic barrier to make them into a battering ram to mow down the Jombies.

 _ **Enemies clawing at my eyes**_

 _ **I scratch and bleed, just to stay alive, yeah**_

The Furious Five pushed through the hoard, protecting the young villagers that couldn't protect themselves, including a particular young panda girl.

 _ **The zombies come out at night**_

 _ **They'll never catch me**_

 _ **They'll never catch me!**_

Kai stands over his army, watching the groups were at a standstill. Karasu jumped up high over the hoard, taking flight while some of the avian Jombies followed him.

 _ **(B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back**_

 _ **B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back)**_

 _ **Light it up, light it up, now I'm burning**_

 _ **Feel the rush, feel the rush of adrenaline**_

As he reached his peak height, the raven dive-bombed with his sword, his dragon spirit crackling with energy and burning through the Jombies easily.

 _ **(We are young, we are strong, we will rise)**_

 _ **Cause I'm back, back, back from the dead tonight!**_

We see Fenghuang and Shen standing back to back, shooting out fire and ice in total sync.

 _ **To the floor, to the floor, hit the red line**_

 _ **Flying high, flying high at the speed of light**_

Crane flies over the two birds, combining his attack with Mei Ling to create a miniature maelstrom to toss the Jombies around.

 _ **(Full of love, full of light, full of fight)**_

 _ **Cause I'm back, back, back from the dead tonight!**_

Peng and Lian jump in to fight as well, their strength and love for each other combining back into Long and pushing through the hoards.

 _ **(B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back**_

 _ **B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back)**_

Tai Lung was fighting with everyone, but only to get back at Kai. Coming across the Shifu Jombie, he smirked. "Well father, how about a rematch?" the snow leopard said.

 _ **Break the skin, spread like poison**_

 _ **Dying slow when we all attack**_

Monkey came across the Jombie Mantis, barely avoiding the bug's attacks.

 _ **How it feels to be the broken**_

 _ **You took a piece now I'm biting back**_

Tigress went in to help Tai Lung, the two kinda-siblings defeated their father figure together, smashing his statue and grabbing his amulet.

 _ **Enemies clawing at my eyes**_

 _ **I scratch and bleed, just to stay alive, yeah**_

Viper came in to the rescue for Monkey, constricting around the Mantis Jombie and retrieve his amulet.

 _ **The zombies come out at night**_

 _ **They'll never catch me**_

 _ **They'll never catch me!**_

 _ **(B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back**_

 _ **B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back)**_

Kai was looking concerned now as the heroes were pushing through. Fung was restoring Mantis and Shifu and the heroes were taking out the Jombies. Heck, even the panda villagers were managing to hold their own in the battle!

 _ **Light it up, light it up, now I'm burning**_

 _ **Feel the rush, feel the rush of adrenaline**_

 _ **(We are young, we are strong, we will rise)**_

 _ **Cause I'm back, back, back from the dead tonight!**_

The Tao Go team up for the battle, each of them using their elemental attacks to lay waste to the Jombies around them.

 _ **To the floor, to the floor, hit the red line**_

 _ **Flying high, flying high at the speed of light**_

Xing charges his hammer with electricity and goes ham on the Jombies, similar to a certain God of Thunder.

 _ **(Full of love, full of light, full of fight)**_

 _ **Cause I'm back, back, back from the dead tonight!**_

Fung, not one to be outdone, used his crystal power to create armor for himself to easily punch through the Jombies.

 _ **Back, back, back from the dead tonight!**_

 _ **Deep down, for the count, don't you dare cut me out**_

Po finally gets into comflict with Kai, the two battling it out as everyone fought around them.

 _ **Never break, never bow**_

 _ **Never beg, not a doubt**_

Karasu teamed up with his parents again, doing their Tri-Finisher attack.

 _ **The zombies come out at night**_

 _ **They'll never catch me**_

 _ **They'll never catch me!**_

 _ **(B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back**_

 _ **B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back)**_

 _ **B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back**_

 _ **B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back!**_

Mei Ling created a healing rain for everyone to recover as the Jombies started to try and defend Kai. Everyone rallied together as the armies were lined up.

 _ **Light it up, light it up, now I'm burning**_

 _ **Feel the rush, feel the rush of adrenaline**_

We see Karasu and his parents, Shen and the Tao Go, Tigress and the Furious Five, Junjie and the Imperial group, even Tai Lung and Shifu stood together.

 _ **(We are young, we are strong, we will rise)**_

 _ **Cause I'm back, back, back from the dead tonight!**_

Pointing his sword forward and smirking, the groups charged at each other again, the heroes fighting as one and overpowering the Jombies.

 _ **To the floor, to the floor, hit the red line**_

 _ **Flying high, flying high at the speed of light**_

Shen teams up with Zan (whose taken his teenage form again), the two using their phoenix powers as Fenghuang added her power to the mix.

 _ **(Full of love, full of light, full of fight)**_

 _ **Cause I'm back, back, back from the dead tonight!**_

Hikari and Ryuu summoned their power spirit powers, using their avatars to lay waste to all the enemies around them.

 _ **Back, back, back from the dead tonight!**_

 _ **(B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back)**_

 _ **Dead tonight!**_

 _ **(B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back)**_

 _ **Back from the dead tonight!**_

Karasu looks to see Po trying to do the Wuxi Finger Hold on Kai, but it not working. Getting around Kai, Po then did the hold on himself, making the raven's eyes grow wide. "Po, don't!" He shouted.

 _ **(B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back)**_

 _ **Dead tonight!**_

 _ **(B-b-b-b-b-back-back-back)**_

 _ **Back from the dead tonight!**_

The panda looked up, but not before lifting up his pinkie. A blast of energy went off and Po and Kai were gone, but not before Karasu threw his sword into the blast.

"What just happened?" Shen asked as everyone stopped fighting.

Fung poked one of the Jombies, which had all stopped moving. "I think we just won."

"Po, you idiot!" Karasu muttered to himself. Her turned to everyone. "I had a plan on how to stop Kai that didn't involve getting him into the spirit realm, but now I can't do that. Unless… do you guys still have those amulets I gave you?"

The Tao Go pulled out their amulets, each of them glowing with power again. "Good. Each of those gives you a fraction of my power, which due to my unique nature made you immune to Jombification."

"Oh, I see where you're going with this," Fenghuang said. "If you can give us power, we can give you power as well."

"Then focus you're power and we'll do this together," Karasu said.

 **[***]**

Over in the spirit world, Po had just unlocked his full Dragon Warrior powers, getting his dragon avatar and putting Kai on the ropes. Before he could do anything else, a flash of power knocked the two combatants onto separate platforms, even knocking Po out of his avatar form.

"Oh, what now?" Kai moaned.

The sky in spirit world shifted to indigo as Karasu descended onto a platform. The raven was glowing with power, his spirit dragon having undergone a staggering transformation. It was still a serpentine dragon, but with feathers instead of scales that shone bright white with a prismatic shine to them.

" _Hello you two. It's time to finally end this,"_ Karasu said, his voice reverbing with the voices of his fellow Tao Go members.

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **It's time for the first part of this finale!**

 **As a disclaimer, most of the fighting was in this chapter. There will be a showdown between Kai and Karasu, but mostly wrapping up the story.**

 **Also, the song used in this chapter is from one of my favorite bands, Skillet. You might know them for their song "Monster," but they have so many more good songs. I would recommend "Feel Invincible," "Heroes," and "Rise/ Sick of It" (you have to listen to Rise and Sick of it together as they lead into each other).**

 **See you guys for the finale next time!**


	50. Season 3 Finale (Series Finale)

**AN: Here we are, the finale. Time to see what happens when Karasu and Kai clash.**

* * *

"Oh, you got more glowy, I'm so intimidated," Kai said sarcastically.

" _He does realize that our presence literally changed, the sky color here, right?"_ Fenghuang asked inside the collective consciousness that all six of the Tao Go shared now.

" _Let him underestimate us. That's been the downfall of every other villain we've faced,"_ Shen said.

Karasu drew his sword, the blade now glowing bright with purple energy. "Kai, for your crimes against all of China, I give you this ultimatum. Stand down and surrender peacefully, or I will force you to."

Kai stood up, pulling his chain swords to himself. "As if I would do that. I'll just open another portal to the mortal realm and do this again." He wrapped his chains around Po and drained the panda of his energy. "I might only have two warriors for my power now, but they're both the strongest of their generation, so I'm good to kick your ass."

" _I guess we should have gotten Po out of her first,"_ Fung said, making everyone else collectively face palm at that oversight.

The Tao Dragon swirled around Karasu, absorbing his sword and turning it into pure energy. "The power of Unity, the combination of the Dragon and Phoenix, Yin and Yang. The Masamune Blade will bring swift judgement onto you!"

 **(Cue "Strike of the Ninja" by Dragonforce)**

Kai threw his swords forward, with Karasu using them to launch himself into the air. Pulling out his bow, the raven shot his arrows, each of them hitting Kai in the back. When he landed, the floating rocks around the spirit realm started to reform into platforms to continue the fight.

Karasu then blocked an attack from Kai with his sword, the two blades clashing with energy.

"You know, I think I like you more when you were dead!" Kai shouted, bringing up his other sword to try and chop the raven's head off.

Karasu ducked backwards, throwing out some ninja stars to push the bull back. Reaching it his friend's power, the raven did a Fireworks Blast, sending Kai flying high up onto another platform.

"At least my power comes from my friends. You just take other powers for yourself," Karasu said, jumping up to meet Kai once again.

"Hey, I have friends!" Kai objected.

"Yeah, and he saw exactly what a monster you were becoming. He didn't want to seal you away, but you didn't give him a choice," the raven said, cutting through Kai's chains as they were thrown at him.

"I don't need you preaching at me about someone you never met!" Kai shouted, rushing forward to try and throttle the raven.

" _But we did meet him,"_ Shen said.

Karasu remained calm and jumped back to avoid Kai, throwing more ninja stars and landing on another platform. "Then why don't you introduce me? I know you still have his amulet, so show me his power!"

Kai, whose gotten increasingly angry at this point, reached for Oogway's amulet and threw it down, summoning the tortoise's Jombie.

" _Now!"_ Fenghuang shouted as Karasu rushed forward.

The raven stabbed the jade statue with his sword, the power of the Tao Dragon going into the statue and returning Oogway to normal.

"Kai?" the tortoise said, turning to face his friend.

The bull froze up, in shock that someone was able to reverse the Jombie curse so easily. "O-Oogway! You're back."

"I never left, Kai," Oogway replied. He held out a hand to his former friend. "Please, let us end this without conflict."

"Yeah right! You just want me to lower my guard!" Kai shouted, summoning his Po Jombie. Karasu just threw his sword into the panda, returning him to normal. "Okay, maybe we can talk?"

Po took a fighting stance. "Alright Kai, let's finish this once and for all!"

"Po, if you attack Kai I will hurt you," Karasu said. "He's disarmed and lost all of his Jombies. The three of us are more than enough to keep him down if he tries anything."

The panda returned to a neutral stance as Oogway approached his old friend. The bull flinched when he reached out a hand, but Oogway simply put his hand on Kai's hand. "I want to say that I'm sorry about what happened all those years ago."

"500 years too late for that," Kai muttered.

"There are no accidents, but all of us are victim to poor judgement. I should have tried to talk to you before banishing you to the spirit realm, but I let my hurt get in the way of reason," Oogway said. He looked to Karasu. "This raven showed me that by taking the time to help three people turn from a dark path: a prince, a rouge, and a bandit. He even helped someone I loved as my own daughter return to her true potential."

" _Oogway…"_ Fenghuang said, tearing up a bit.

"This time, though, I must make up for my own mistake," Oogway continued. "Let us end this together."

The two friends started to glow, a portal opening behind them.

"That's our queue," Karasu said, heading into the portal.

"Uh, shouldn't we take care of Kai?" Po asked.

"I think they'll be fine," the raven said, dragging Po back into the mortal realm as the spirit realm faded back into a golden sky.

 **[***]**

Falling out of the portal, Karasu and Po found themselves surrounded by everyone, from the villagers to their friends and family.

"PO/KARASU!" everyone shouted, glomping them into a hug.

Shen held his friend close and Fenghuang pulled both of them into her grip, with Mei Ling, Fung and Xing joining in as well. The raven smiled with tears in his eyes as his friends… no, his _family_ embraced him.

"Well son, it looks like you got your big hero moment," Ryuu said.

"I wasn't being a hero, I was just reuniting old friends," Karasu replied.

"That's the most bull thing I've heard since Kai came back," Fenghuang said, rustling the raven's head feathers.

"It's true. You've brought peace to China once again," Hikari said. "If that's not a heroic thing, then I think you might just need to give that sword back."

Karasu laughed, his aura fading and his spirit dragon floating around all of them. Suddenly, the dragon roared and flew up into the air, growing larger and looking down at everyone. **"Tao Warrior. You have finally accepted yourself and, more importantly, come into your role as a diverter of destiny. You have helped others change their paths, but this time you did so without defeating you're enemy in combat."**

"Technically I still fought Kai, but I didn't kill him, so I'll take your compliment anyway," Karasu said.

" **As a way of thanks, the gods have given you seven wishes to use as you will. However, you may not bring back the dead or anything else that could change the will of another,"** the Dragon said.

Karasu looked to everyone, then turned back to the dragon. "I would like to give five of my wishes to my friends, if that's okay with you."

The dragon pondered for a minute. **"I cannot directly give them your wishes, but I can give them what they desire the most from their hearts as five of your wishes.** **For Fung, I give you the money to help you and your former croc bandits out of poverty. May you use it well."**

The croc had a bag of coins appear in his hands. "Uh, thanks giant dragon guy."

" **For Mei Ling, I give you the ability to have a family with Master Crane. The love you two have is unique, and your desire to care for others will be useful if you two decide to take your love further."**

Mei Ling smiled as she kissed Crane on the cheek. "I think a marriage might be in our future," she said.

"M-marriage?" Crane said, his face lighting up and he covered it with his hat.

" **For Xing, I give you the ability to wield magic, to help the royal family in a way that you only dreamed about."**

"You wanted magic?" Shen asked the wolf.

The wolf rubbed the back of his head. "It always impressed me, but the Soothsayer said my family couldn't learn it due to some curse put on us in the past. This way, that curse is lifted and my descendants can use it as well." He smiled. "I hope that Karasu's mother can help teach me some things."

" **For Fenghuang, I sense that you do not have any mortal desires. Instead, I give you the blessing of the gods to become the elemental master of Ice. May you teach others the power of the snow."**

"Another title? I think her ego is big enough," Shifu said.

"When did you get a snarky side?" Fenghuang questioned.

"Since you started living at the palace again," the red panda said.

" **Finally, Shen, I give you the one thing that you've always wanted."**

In a flash of light, Shen's appearance changed, his white feathers becoming colorful like other peacocks. "I… can't accept this," Shen said. "My appearance is what has defined me, and I can't give that up. If others look at me different because of my feathers, then they are the ones that need to change."

" **Well said, Celestial Phoenix, but that is not what the appearance change is for. That is your full potential as the Celestial Phoenix, when your powers reach their highest peak. If you focus, you should return to normal."**

Shen closed his eyes and dissipated his powers, his feathers returning to normal.

"I think you look good either way," Fenghuang said.

Karasu stepped forward. "I'm ready to make my wish. First, I wish for Oogway and Kai to find peace with each other. Those two deserve to have their happy ending." He turned to his friends. "Second, I wish to become a guardian of the world. When my time has passed, I wish to continue on to defend this world as the Tao Dragon."

" **Your wishes shall be granted. Know that if you ever wish to revoke your title, the gods will allow you to pass it on to a successor,"** the dragon said. With a roar of power, the Tao Dragon shrunk back down and entered Karasu's sword, the glow fading completely from it as its task was done.

"Huh, never thought he could speak," Karasu said.

"That's what you're going to end this on?" Shen asked.

The raven smiled. "Are you kidding? We still have one last ending theme to do!"

* * *

 **(Cue "My Hero Academia Opening 3 - Sora Ni Utaeba [English Dub Cover** **]"**

 **by NateWantsToBattle)**

 _ **I cut right through the wreckage**_

 _ **And look onto the sunset**_

We see Karasu cut through the air, landing in a field with cherry blossoms falling around him as the sun sets in the background.

 _ **Eternity I'm flying**_

 _ **(Singing right into the sky!}**_

 _ **I can't live with regret**_

Shen lands next to his friend, with the other Tao Go members coming behind him.

 _ **Can't fade, won't break**_

 _ **Live for tomorrow with our might**_

All of them give a nod and a smile drawing their weapons with confidence.

 _ **We'll fight on, once again!**_

They all charge forward, showing of their powers: Karasu sends out his spirit dragon, Shen goes into his Celestial Phoenix mode, Fenghuang creates an ice phoenix, Mei Ling flies by on a cloud, Xing slams his hammer with lightning, and Fung creates crystal gauntlets to attack.

 _ **Seeking out**_

 _ **All the lies that I've been told**_

 _ **My tears leave me drowning**_

We see Karasu reunite with his parents, embracing them as he cries tears of joy.

 _ **I'm moving on**_

 _ **You can't tell me how to be**_

 _ **Nothing else is**_

 _ **Stopping me**_

We see the Tao Go face down Kai, with Karasu standing valiantly in the middle of the fight.

 _ **Frustrated**_

 _ **Humiliated**_

 _ **It fuels me**_

 _ **To carve the road I walk on!**_

Closing his eyes, the raven opens them with renewed vigor, unsheathing his sword and going into his Tao Dragon form.

 _ **I cut right through the wreckage**_

 _ **And look onto the sunset**_

 _ **Eternity I'm flying**_

 _ **(Singing right into the sky!)**_

 _ **I can't live with regret**_

We see scenes of fighting intercut with everyone just interacting, enjoying their company over the past three seasons

 _ **Can't fade**_

 _ **Won't break**_

 _ **Live for tomorrow**_

 _ **With our might**_

 _ **We'll fight on**_

 _ **Once again!**_

For one last scene, Karasu stands with everyone, the group slowly leaving until only he and Shen are left. The two turn and nod at each other, going into their final forms and jumping up, freezing as the song ends and the logo appears.

* * *

 **[***]**

An unknown time in the future, we see Shifu, the years catching up on him visibly now, sitting in the courtyard playing his flute. Po, now the Grandmaster of the Jade Palace, trains a new group of Furious Five, with Tigress teaching by his side (even now the villagers debated if the two were a "thing" or not).

Life was good, all things considered. Shen and Fenghuang had gotten together, having a marriage on the same day as Crane and Mei Ling. Their children were actually part of the new Furious Five, with Shen's son sharing the white feathers and long tail feathers as his father and the purple eyes and species as his mother.

"Excuse me," said a voice. Shifu looked up to see a young bull and a tortoise. "We were looking for Master Tai Lung. Have you seen him?"

That was another thing Shifu had gotten used to over the years. With Tai Lung back, he had remained at the palace as a teacher.

"Yes, young Kai. Tai Lung should be in the kitchen. It is lunch time after all," Shifu replied.

"Come on, Oogway! Master Fung must be cooking something good!" Kai shouted, dragging his friend along.

Fung had taken over Mr. Ping's shop when the goose became too old to run it, and now was one of the most famous chefs in China. Xing helped the croc as well, the two having grown close over the years (another topic highly debated amongst the villagers, though mostly which one of them cooked a better bowl of special sauce noodles).

"I still can't believe that they were reincarnated so soon," Karasu said, appearing behind Shifu.

"I think it's an excellent reversal of roles. He was my master, and know I am his," Shifu replied. "So, what adventures has the Tao Dragon been on this time?"

The raven smiled. "Well, how about what happened after I fulfilled my destiny…?"

* * *

 **Author's Note**

 **And… CUT! "Phoenix of Ying, Dragon of Yang" is now officially over, but that doesn't mean Karasu's story is over. There may be more adventures to tell, but for now let's let him have some time off.**

 **A special thanks to Alex the Owl, Whispering Warrior, and The Grey Coincidence for your support, I couldn't have done it without you guys!**

 **If you want to see more Karasu, check out "Kung Fu Academia," a school style story featuring the ninja raven with some other characters as well. Also check out "The Heist" by TheGreyCoincidence for a different version of Karasu, whom is now a part of his (massive) universe as well.**

 **Hope to see you all again. Dragon Saver, out!**


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